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The Brave Hearts
was greatly relieved of his worries. But soon tragedy struck. He lost his mother, and that came as a great shock to him. He would spend most of his time crying and remembering his mother. To give him relief from the mental agony he was experiencing, his brother-in-law one day took him to the gymnasium. After that it became a routine for Padmaraj to visit the gymnasium. Gradually he started learning various kinds of techniques in the art of wrestling.
In wrestling, palms play a vital role. If one were to wrestle with the opponent, one has to do it with the help of ones palms. If one has to hold the opponent tightfisted, that too requires use of the palms. But Padmaraj was born without palms.
Other wrestlers started cutting jokes at Padmaraj in view of the physical deficiency he suffered from. They would derisively ask each other if ever they had come across a wrestler who had no palms. They would then say to Padmaraj that all his efforts would go in vain.
Padmaraj started ignoring such remarks although those were directed against him intentionally. He kept on learning various tricks to trap the opponent. If the opponent was using his palms against Padmaraj, the later would use his wrists. His wrists were so strong that once the opponent was caught between them, it would be difficult for him to get free from the clutches of Padmaraj. Padmaraj would spend long hours in the gymnasium and gradually mastered the art of wrestling.
Padmaraj participated in wrestling competitions organised at the district level and won first prize. Once a wrestling competition was organised in the Kanyakubja College where he was a student. But no one had the guts to compete with him with the result that he was declared winner unopposed.
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