The Naga arm-wrestling circuit: a sport of tea shops becomes a state championship

For decades, arm-wrestling in Nagaland was a tea-shop sport: a wooden table, a challenge, and the whole shop watching. This year, it became a state championship.

The tournament drew 200 competitors from every district, with referees, weight classes and — for the first time — regulation tables.

Organisers are unapologetic about the formalities: ‘The sport was always serious. Now the table is official.’