The incredible journey from Dalip Rana to The Great Khali

By Somrita Ghosh

Book: The Man Who Became Khali; Author: Dalip Singh Rana with Vinit K Bansal; Publisher: Penguin; Price: Rs 250; Pages: 178

 

From living under circumstances where getting two meals a day seemed difficult, a man decided to fight against his destiny and overcome the hurdles to win the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) championship. This is the story of The Great Khali.

"The Man Who Became Khali," written in seemingly simple language, is a short memoir of the journey of Dalip Singh Rana who later went on to become the The Great Khali.

The 178-page book is spread over 27 short chapters, opening with a prologue which conveys the thought behind the book.

He writes about one incident when people flocked around him, making him feel like a superstar. It was one of his friends who suggested with the idea of scripting down his emotions in the form of a biography.

The next pages are set in chronological order of the incidents that happened in the wrestler's life.

The initial chapters take readers through his struggling days where he writes about his biggest regret in life -- not completing his basic education. Being a fifth standard drop-out, Khali had to face huge criticism and go through humiliation.

"Being uneducated, I know the pain of not receiving a good education. I had to face a lot of hardships due to the lack of knowledge and communication skills. I remember feeling a sharp sting in my heart when people mocked me because I couldn't speak English, when I was not able to make quick calculations or when I wasn't able to fill the participation forms by myself," he mentions in the book.

However, just like in Bollywood films, here too, the protagonist rises, defeats all odds and progresses on the path of success. Lady Luck finally bestows her blessing upon him, and brings in good days.

All it took was an interview to a media house to gain some attention in his locality and eventually got him a job with the Punjab Police. The reason? He was 'different'.

"You are huge, very huge. Don't you think people should know about you?" a journalist asked him during an interview. This led to the publication of a feature story on him and fame and recognition followed.

For a man who had never heard of WWE ending up being a champion perhaps counts for a story to be told.

"It intensified my interest in wrestling and I found the moves fascinating," he writes when he first watched a match on television.

He gradually flourished in the US where he went for mastering in the art of WWE. Though certain unfortunate events did come his way, Khali managed to cross over all barriers. Some incidents, for him, hold special mention, like the moment when he first won his international match and the day he became WWE champion in 2007.

The book is a great read for those seeking inspiration from the Great Khali's life.

(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)