When I went for the White Owl Literature Festival in Nagaland a few months ago, I attended part of an event that the author Theyiesinuo Keditsu conducted on her book, Wrestling Day. She spoke about how traffic piles up on Wrestling Day. People park everywhere, and that’s something that’s perfectly acceptable on that one day because that’s just the way things are. Wrestling is huge; everyone wrestles.
Before I could ask, someone else did, ‘Do women wrestle too?’
The answer was ‘yes’; she used to wrestle too!
A couple of days later I watched two young boys wrestling in Khonoma. It was such a simple, fascinating affair! They engaged in three bouts, and what I especially loved was the way they dusted each other off after their match was over.
All this made me all the more curious to read Wrestling Day, and it didn’t disappoint.
Aneingu should be all set to wrestle, but he isn’t! That is because it is believed that wearing your mother’s shawl while you wrestle will bring you good fortune. Arieü and Ashunuo want the very best for their cousin, so off they go on a mission to get the shawl!
A simple, sweet story that immersed me in a world I was delighted to explore in fiction, Wrestling Day is a charming story, perfectly illustrated by Rishita Loitongbam. I love that the Hook Books gently introduce me to so many places and experiences all over the country!
| Title | Wrestling Day |
| Author Illustrator | T. Keditsu Rishita Loitongbam |
| Tags | Hook Book, Picture Book, Nagaland |
| Rating (out of 5) | 4 |
| Ages | 5+ |
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