Indian wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as ‘The Great Khali’ stressed the need for better infrastructure and facilities in wrestling field. The 43-year-old was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of Jammu District Wrestling Championship on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.
Also read: The Great Khali: How a Road worker went on to become WWE champion
He told reporters, "India has a great future in wrestling, but only what is required is infrastructure and facilities." Khali is the one who put India on the pro wrestling map and wants to make the pattern more popular in India.
Pairing up with Tony Jones, Dalip Singh became a professional wrestler for All Pro Wrestling (APW) in the United States and made his first appearance in October 2000, under ring name Giant Singh.
In January 2006, he signed a contract with WWE, thus becoming the first Indian professional wrestler to be signed by the company. In July 2007, the wrestler from Himachal Pradesh defeated the likes of Kane and Batista to become World Heavyweight Champion.
In an April 2015 interview, Khali talked about the possibilities of a comeback in the WWE scenario. “It's not that I had no offers from the WWE I had voluntarily taken this break as I needed some time to establish the institute in Jalandhar. Now that the things are on track I decided to get back to the ring,” Khali said.
The 43-year-old had also talked about giving equal opportunities to girls in the wrestling arena. He was quoted saying, “I will be back soon with some more friends from the US who will help me on my project to prepare WWE wrestling in India. We have trainees from all across the country.
He added, “Also, there are four girls apart from 30 boys who are being trained there. I wanted that girls get equal opportunity and so we have provided space for girls as well.”
While giving a message for all the aspiring ‘Khalis’, the man himself had said, “Honesty, hard labour and dedication are the words for them. Also respect your parents, coaches and always have confidence in yourself. Never lose hope under adverse situations.”
In the year 2012, the Indian pro wrestler underwent a surgery to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland. Khali has acted in a couple of Bollywood and Hollywood films apart from being part of Television shows like Bigg Boss.
He was glad by the reception he got from people of Jammu on Monday and said, "I am feeling honoured and great, the way I have been welcomed."
