बॉलीवुड की एलीगेंट प्रीति झंगियानी बनीं भारत की ‘आर्म क्वीन’: प्रो पंजा लीग से दिला रहीं पंजा को अंतरराष्ट्रीय पहचान, अब नजरें ओलिंपिक पर

Preeti Jhangiani, once known as the elegant actress of Bollywood, is today the strongest voice of Indian arm wrestling. She has created history by becoming the President of the People’s Arm Wrestling Federation of India (PAFI) and the first woman Vice President of the Asian Arm Wrestling Federation. His dream of giving ‘Panja’ international recognition is coming true with the success of the Pro Panja League.

Preeti believes that this game is related to the soil of India. Inexpensive, for everyone and played with heart. Now his aim is to take arm wrestling to the Asian and Olympic Games. Recently Preeti Jhangiani had a special conversation with Dainik Bhaskar. Here are some highlights..

Question- Which is the federation of arm wrestling in India?

answer- People’s Arm Wrestling Federation of India (PAFI). I am the President of this federation.

Question- You are also associated with the Asian Federation, tell us something about it?

answer- Yes, I am the Vice President of the Asian Arm Wrestling Federation, and it is a matter of great pride that I have become the first female Vice President in the history of arm wrestling.

Question- What is changing in arm wrestling these days?

answer- I think today we are seeing a big boom in arm wrestling. Whether you look at social media or TV broadcasts, its name is growing everywhere.

Question- Do you think that now India’s name is increasing at the international level also?

answer- Absolutely. Now international countries have woken up to how much talent India has in arm wrestling.

Question- You mentioned the word panja, do people in foreign countries also call it panja now?

answer- Yes, absolutely. Now even in foreign countries, people have started calling arm wrestling as panja. Recently the World Championship was held in Bulgaria, where 70 countries participated. Everyone knew about the Pro Paw League. Everyone says that arm wrestling means claws! That means we taught them one word of Hindi.

Question- Panja is a game related to our tradition, in which the expenditure is less and any player with strong heart can play it. What is your contribution in taking this game forward?

answer- You are absolutely right. This game costs very little, so every child can play it. Wherever we organize tournaments, we leave a table there so that a community of the game can be formed there. Many children give up bad habits and join claw sports because its rules are simple and everyone can participate in it, be it women, children or para athletes. It is truly an Indian game.

Question- Yours and Praveen’s vision is so strong that you want to take it to the Asian Games and then to the Olympics, is this right?

answer- Yes, this is the dream. This game has already been included in Para Youth Asian Games, Police Games and University Games. The next step is the Asian Games and then national recognition.

Question- What was the biggest challenge in the beginning?

answer- We started from scratch. People used to ask, is Panja played professionally? Who will see it? But after our event held in front of Gwalior Fort, we got a tremendous response on social media. By showing these numbers and popularity, we assured the broadcasting partners that people really want to watch it.

Question- Why being popular on social media is not a guarantee of success on TV, and what were your special strategies behind the success of the first season of Pro Panja League?

answer- Being popular just on social media does not necessarily mean that people will watch on TV also. We came up with a plan, trained the athletes, shared their stories, trained the commentary team, and found ways to make the league profitable. We already had a fan base in India and International. The first season of Pro Paw League garnered 32 million unique viewers and has crossed 1.2 billion views on social media.

Question- Your husband Praveen Dabas is very fond of sports, especially things like MMA and adventure. When they told you about all these things, what was your first reaction?

answer- The first time we saw an arm wrestling match, we were invited there. The enthusiasm and thrill of that game is really amazing. When Praveen ji told me his idea related to this sport, I was sure that this is a very good and popular sport.

Question- You have always maintained an elegant image, then how did this work related to power and sports come together? What were your thoughts at that time?

answer- I was never interested in or watched combat or blood sports. I just watch tennis and cricket. Parveen completely handles the creative part of Pro Punjab League, I look after the business and management. We have male, female and specially-abled athletes. Now my role is more in the federation. Which includes the problems of all the states, administration, athletes and officials, taking the team to the World and Asian Championships and leading the Indian team. This is a huge responsibility and requires a lot of hard work, as it is a non-profit work.

Question- When you came to know that you have become the President of Indian Pro Panja Federation and Vice President of Asian Arm Wrestling Federation, how did you feel at that time?

answer- We had already worked a lot in arm wrestling, so we were not afraid. Everything was done thoughtfully so that balance is maintained between the league and the federation, because if there is a conflict between the two, the players and the game suffer. Our aim is to stay away from politics or ego and only take the sport forward. For this reason, we have now organized international competitions like the Asian Championships in India, so that more of our Indian players can participate. Because it’s easier and cheaper to get here, and now more players can participate, not just those who can go abroad.

Question- You started a production house named Sven Entertainment, which provides a platform to new talent. Where did this idea come from?

answer- Earlier I used to say that I will never become a producer, because it is a very thankless job. But we started with Praveen’s heartfelt village based film ‘Sahi Dhandhe Hi Galat Bande’. That film was made on a small budget and I love it very much. After this we also made ads and foreign films. Now our focus is more on sports, but once Panja Sports is set, we will again work on films, because that is our first love.

Question- Your fans want you to do more work. You have also received an award for the Rajasthan film ‘Tawado: The Sunlight’. What would you like to say to all this?

answer- Of course, as an actor I am always looking for good roles. I want to do all kinds of different roles. I would like to explore more especially on OTT.