On a fine sunny morning of 15 August, 2023 , a group of teenage boys dressed in black stunt attires walked on beautifully designed rugs to perform before a jam packed audience which had gathered here at the lawns of district police lines in Drusso area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district to celebrate Indian’s 77th Independence Day.
The audience roused in applause with their every move and the commentator on a public address system was showering praises on the performers.
The group, Team Warriors 44, which was included in the list to perform during Independence Day in Pulwama at the eleventh hour stole the show with their hair bristling performance.
The ten minute show began with Tawseef Ashraf Bhat, the captain of this 9 member group, standing in the first row and one of his co-performer hitting his thigh with a long crystal white glass tube which broke into shreds. Next the glass rod was struck on his elbow and then the head.
The show didn’t stop here as Ashraf took a glass tube in his hands and then chewed it into fine pieces with his teeth.
“What a marvelous talent! Tawseef has broken the glass with his teeth without getting a minor scratch. What a great talent the boy is!,” The excited commentator at the public address system said in a shrill tone amid a huge applause of cheers from the audience.
The group enthralled the audience with their stunts from spinning their heads through 180 degree to heroics like stretching on motorbikes, bridging and other calisthenics stunts.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, Tawaeef Ahshraf Bhat said that initially they were not scheduled to perform at the show.
“It was on 13th of August that our group was included in the list of performers,” Tawseef said, adding that they were listed for the show after a local social activist, Bhat Musadiq Reyaz, recommended them before district administration.
The teenage school boy from Qasbayar village of Pulwama has been inspired by television show, India’s Got Talent, featured on Sony Entertainment in which participants compete by performing different acts before judges and nationwide audiences to win prizes.
The boy was fascinated by the performance of a participant in one episode of the TV show a year ago after watching him break a glass tube with his teeth.
He started copying him and practiced the act for a full month till he mastered the skill.
He was looking for an opportunity to demonstrate his skill but there was none prompting him to discontinue practicing the skill.
“From past 15 days I started practicing again, “he said, adding that they were given a chance to perform before a live audience which included government officers from district administration also.
The show boosted the morale of this class 10th student who is determined to learn how to lift a wheat by fitting hooks in his eye sockets.
I wish to represent my UT at an international level and my goal is to participate in the television show, America’s Got Talent,” Tawseef said.
Faisal Mushtaq , a class 9th student at Government Higher Secondary School Rajpora, is a calisthenics stunt performer and vice captain of Team Warriors 44.
He narrated that after the show they were invited by Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Dr Basharat Qayoom, who assured them to support them in pursuing their future goals.
The team is training around 45 boys from different areas of Pulwama in various sport forms.
The team was facing many challenges, the biggest one was to manage various equipment and materials needed for practicing and training the different art forms.
“We used to contribute from our pocket money for purchasing various practice materials,” Tawseef said, adding that sometimes they were helped by Bhat Musaddiq Reyaz in arranging the equipment.
However, they have been relieved after getting a helping hand from district administration.
The group is now planning to train more youth including girls.
