Gama Pehlwan 144th birth anniversary: Google Doodle remembers one of the best wrestlers of all time
The Great Gama remained undefeated in his remarkable career that spanned around five decades.
Google Doodle Sunday (May 22) honoured the undefeated Indian wrestler Gama Pehlwan, popularly known as “The Great Gama,” on his 144th birthday.
Born on May 22, 1878, in Jabbowal village of Amritsar, the Great Gama or Gama Pehlwan was a practitioner of pehlwani wrestling (a form of South Asian wrestling also known as Kushti).
His original name was Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt and he became the champion of India (Rustam-e-Hind) and the world in the early 20th century.
Career
Gama remained undefeated in his remarkable career that spanned around five decades. He was just 10 years old as he went on to defeat every wrestler who challenged him.
He inspired countless in the Indian subcontinent during the freedom struggle and even the legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.
He was awarded the World Heavyweight title in 1910 after he defeated international wrestlers in London. He went on to defeat world champions like Stanislaus Zbyszko, Frank Gotch, and Benjamin Roller.
Gama earned many titles during his career, notably the Indian versions of the World Heavyweight Championship (1910) and the World Wrestling Championship (1927) where he was bestowed with the title of “Tiger” after the tournament.
His legacy was picked by legends, including Bruce Lee, who was an avid follower of Gama’s training routine. Lee learnt ‘The Cat Stretch’ from Gama, which was a version of push-ups based on Yoga. Lee also performed baithaks, inspired by the Great Gama.
Diet
Gama used to do five thousand squats and three thousand pushups everyday, and his daily diet included 10 litres of milk, six desi chickens, and a pound and a half of crushed almond paste made into a tonic drink.
His last days
Before the Partition was announced, Gama lived in Amritsar. However, with the rising communal tension in the city, he had shifted to Lahore, where he fought many bouts in early 1947.
During this bloody episode, he also went on to save many Hindus from bloodthirsty mobs. Gama Pehlwan spent the last few years of his life in dire financial conditions with little to no support from the Pakistani government.
He passed away in 1960 at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from asthma and heart disease. Gama remains a legendary sports champion from pre-Independence India and an icon of our struggle against colonialism.
Family
From a Kashmiri Muslim family, Gama’s father Muhammad Aziz Baksh was a court wrestler who fought under the patronage of Maharaja Bhawani Singh of Datia.
He was only six when his father passed away. Following his father’s death, both Gama and his younger brother were initially taken in by their maternal grandfather Nun Pehlwan. Subsequently, their maternal uncle Ida Pehlwan took over the responsibility of raising the two young boys.