Gama Pehlwan, considered unbeatable in the ring, was one of the top wrestlers of all time. ‘The Great Gama’ remained undefeated in international matches throughout his career, and was even given the title of Tiger after he won the World Wrestling Championship in 1927. His real name was Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, and is commonly known as Rustam-e-Hind.
Gama Pehlwan who is considered to be one of the top wrestlers of all time as he remained undefeated in international matches in his career. The original name of Gama Pehlwan was Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt and was commonly known as Rustam-e-Hind.
According to the Google Doodle page, the Doodle—created by guest artist Vrinda Zaveri—celebrates Gama Pehlwan’s accomplishments in the ring but also the impact and representation he brought to Indian culture.
Traditional wrestling in North India started to develop around the early 1900s. Lower class and working class migrants would compete in royal gymnasiums and gained national recognition when lavish tournaments were won. During these tournaments, spectators admired the wrestlers' physiques and were inspired by their disciplined lifestyle.
Gama’s workout routine included 500 lunges and 500 push-ups at only 10 years old. In 1888, he competed in a lunge contest with over 400 wrestlers from around the country and won. His success at the competition gained him fame throughout the royal states of India. It wasn’t until he turned 15 that he picked up wrestling. By 1910, people were reading Indian newspapers with headlines praising Gama as a national hero and world champion. Gama is also considered a hero for saving the lives of many Hindus during the partition of India in 1947. He spent the rest of his days until his death in 1960 in Lahore, which became a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
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. He was even presented a silver mace by the Prince of Wales during his visit to India to honor the great wrestler. Gama’s legacy continues to inspire modern day fighters. Even Bruce Lee is a known admirer and incorporates aspects of Gama's conditioning into his own training routine!
As told by India times, when a mob of rioters approached his new home village of Lahore in Pakistan, Gama Pehlwan and his fellow wrestlers stood in defense. It’s said that Gama simply “slapped” the sword-wielding leader, sending the man flying, a scene which caused the mob to disperse and flee. Reportedly, the wrestler made a way for the endangered villagers to safely cross the border to India.
Gama Pehlwan spent the remainder of his days in Lahore, passing away on May 23, 1960.
In the Google Doodle honoring the esteemed wrestler’s 144th birthday, you can see Gama Pehlwan standing strong, surrounded by the letters of “Google.” In his right hand, Gama is holding a silver mace, bestowed upon him by the Prince of Wales.
Bruce Lee's Inspiration Was This Indian Pehalwan Who Was So Strong He Could Lift 1,200 Kgs! The year was 1902. A young man in his 20's had come to Baroda (now Vadodra) and had left everybody astounded by lifting a piece of stone. Nobody had seen anything like that before.
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