WOW STORY OF THE DAY: Two Brothers From Rohtak Revived India's Ancient Mudgar and Built a Modern Fitness Movement Brand

Running, Yoga, Kerala, and a Mudgar That Changed Everything

Anjit Suhag's fitness journey began with running and deepened through yoga. But despite the physical benefits both practices offered, he found himself searching for something more: a form of training that combined genuine strength, mobility, and endurance in the same movement pattern.

Around 2020, a teacher in Kerala introduced him to the mudgar, a traditional Indian training tool used for thousands of years by wrestlers, soldiers, and warriors. The mudgar finds its mention in Indian mythology, used by warriors like Hanuman and Bheem, making it one of the oldest and most culturally significant fitness tools in human history. Known as Karlakattai in South India, Meel in Iran, and Indian Clubs in the Western world, the mudgar had been central to Indian physical culture before globalisation pushed it to the margins.

Anjit was immediately drawn to its extraordinary range of motion. Unlike conventional dumbbells and barbells that offer only 2D movements in fixed planes, the mudgar allows 3D movements and swings that engage the entire kinetic chain, improving grip strength, joint mobility, shoulder health, and full-body coordination simultaneously.

He began practising daily and started sharing his journey on Instagram. What began as personal practice and informal content creation quickly revealed a clear market gap: quality mudgars were almost impossible to source.

Anjit called Sanjeet. Together, they relocated to Dehradun, set up a garage workshop, and began making mudgars by hand using premium hardwoods including mahogany. The brand took structured business shape in 2022 and launched commercially in December 2023. Completely bootstrapped from day one, they built everything on craftsmanship, content, and conviction.

Content First, 1,035% Revenue CAGR, 30% EBITDA, and a 70% Female User Base Nobody Saw Coming

The boldest decision Mudgar Club made was to lead with education rather than advertising. Anjit built an Instagram community of 100,000-plus followers by creating content that taught proper mudgar technique, explained the science of 3D movement, and brought traditional Indian physical culture to life for a modern audience.

That content-first strategy produced a result that surprised even the founders. When Mudgar Club started in 2023, the user base was 95% male and 5% female. By the time of the Shark Tank pitch, it had flipped to 70% female and 30% male, confirming that educational content had reached and converted an entirely new demographic to traditional strength training.

All revenue is driven organically through social media, primarily Instagram and Meta. Before July 2024, the brand generated ₹15 to 18 lakh monthly combining products and services. A strategic decision to focus on product quality and profitability over services brought monthly revenue to ₹10 lakh with ₹3 lakh in profit, confirming a 30% EBITDA margin, an extraordinary profitability metric for a bootstrapped fitness startup with marketing spend reduced from ₹4 to 5 lakh to just ₹1 to 1.5 lakh per month.

Tracxn confirms Mudgar Club Private Limited achieved a 1,035% one-year revenue CAGR for the financial year ending March 31 2025, confirming the extraordinary growth rate from a small but genuine base.

The product range spans seven items including mudgars, gadas, Persian meels, Indian clubs, samtola, and the shena push-up board. Every product is handcrafted by skilled artisans. Manufacturing cost is ₹2,000 per 5KG mudgar with a retail price of ₹4,000. The full product price range spans ₹3,000 to ₹10,000 depending on size and type.

Sharks Get Out of Their Seats, ₹2 Lakh in the Bank, and Ritesh Says Yes

Anjit and Sanjeet Suhag appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4 with ₹10 lakh in monthly revenue, ₹3 lakh in monthly profit, and just ₹2 lakh in their bank account [cite: The Strategic Genius — Content First, 1,035% Revenue CAGR, 30% EBITDA, and a 70% Female User Base Nobody Saw Coming, The Shark Tank Moment — Sharks Get Out of Their Seats, ₹2 Lakh in the Bank, and Ritesh Says Yes, Scale and Real-World Impact]. They sought ₹50 lakh for 10% equity at a ₹5 crore valuation. Completely bootstrapped [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Origin — Running, Yoga, Kerala, and a Mudgar That Changed Everything, The Shark Tank Moment — Sharks Get Out of Their Seats, ₹2 Lakh in the Bank, and Ritesh Says Yes, Scale and Real-World Impact]. Completely convinced.

The founders gave a live demonstration of mudgar swings on stage, and the Sharks were so impressed that they got out of their seats to try the ancient instruments themselves, an extraordinary moment that confirmed the product's visceral power.

Several Sharks appreciated the vision but had valuation concerns. Ritesh Agarwal, founder of OYO Rooms and the youngest self-made billionaire in the world, saw through to the mission. He offered ₹50 lakh for 12.5% equity, valuing the company at ₹4 crore. The founders accepted immediately.

Post-Shark Tank, Mudgar Club is building inventory, upgrading manufacturing, and expanding social media reach. Future plans include placing mudgar racks in premium gym chains like Gold's Gym and Cult.fit and scaling a subscription-based pre-recorded training library for recurring revenue. Training centres to promote traditional Indian fitness remain a long-term goal.

Scale and Real-World Impact

The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student

The sharpest lesson from Mudgar Club's journey is this: the most credible wellness brands in any category are built by founders who personally experienced the transformation the product delivers, learned it with genuine depth, and chose to teach before they chose to sell.

Anjit Suhag did not build a product and look for a market. He discovered a training method that genuinely changed his body. He taught it on Instagram. He attracted 100,000 followers who trusted his teaching [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Strategic Genius — Content First, 1,035% Revenue CAGR, 30% EBITDA, and a 70% Female User Base Nobody Saw Coming, The Business Lesson — The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student, Scale and Real-World Impact]. He built the product his audience was already asking for. He did all of this completely bootstrapped with ₹2 lakh in the bank before Shark Tank [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Origin — Running, Yoga, Kerala, and a Mudgar That Changed Everything, The Shark Tank Moment — Sharks Get Out of Their Seats, ₹2 Lakh in the Bank, and Ritesh Says Yes, The Business Lesson — The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student, Scale and Real-World Impact].

That sequence—learn first, teach second, sell third—is the most powerful growth model available to a wellness founder in the creator economy.

"What started as a small passion project in a garage workshop is now a recognised brand," Anjit says.

From a Kerala teacher's demonstration to a garage in Dehradun. From 95% male to 70% female users [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Strategic Genius — Content First, 1,035% Revenue CAGR, 30% EBITDA, and a 70% Female User Base Nobody Saw Coming, The Business Lesson — The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student]. From ₹2 lakh in the bank to a Shark Tank deal with Ritesh Agarwal [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Shark Tank Moment — Sharks Get Out of Their Seats, ₹2 Lakh in the Bank, and Ritesh Says Yes, The Business Lesson — The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student]. From zero to 1,035% revenue CAGR [cite: 50-Word Summary, The Strategic Genius — Content First, 1,035% Revenue CAGR, 30% EBITDA, and a 70% Female User Base Nobody Saw Coming, The Business Lesson — The Most Powerful Fitness Brands Are the Ones Built by Founders Who Were the First Student].

The mudgar is swinging again. And India is stronger for it.

Sources

• Mudgar Club Official Website

• Shark Tank House

• CEO Vine

• Startup Article

• Business Remedies

• Tracxn

• Indian Retailer