Ustad is the title bestowed on the winner of Sangidi Rallu, a traditional strength contest held during Pongal in village festivals of northern Andhra Pradesh. Exported worldwide, black granite is a popular stone of the region. It has been used for years to carve the Sangidi Rallu, a torus weighing 80-220 Kg. Over time, that folk contest evolved into organised weightlifting in Kondavelagada (pr: kon-duh-wella-gadaa), a village in Vizianagaram district. The village has produced 20 national and 13 international weightlifters, with successive generations securing government jobs through sport, and lifting their families out of poverty. Among the latest are sisters Bellana Bhargavi (17) and Bellana Harika (19), who won gold medals at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Samoa in April 2026. Next week, the tiny village will be in the spotlight once again when Ajay Babu – the son of Valluri Srinivasa Rao, a weightlifting pioneer in these parts – steps on the platform at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this month. Ajay, who is in Glasgow currently, spoke to the …