Wrestling
Google Doodle celebrates the Indian GOAT of wrestling - 'The Great Gama'
With Bruce Lee also being a fan of this legendary Indian wrestler who remained undefeated in international competitions, Google Doodle is celebrating The Great Gama's 144th birthday.
Google has dished out another sporty Doodle and this time it is in the honour of The Great Gama - Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, an Indian wrestler of the early 20th century famously known by that name, on the legend's 144th birthday.
With artist Vrinda Zaveri behind the artwork, the Google Doodle is celebrating the wrestler's impact on the Indian culture, as he is considered to be legendary for his unending feats of success.
As per the history books, Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, became the GOAT of Indian wrestling after he remained undefeated throughout his international matches and earned the title of The Great Gama.
With his roots in Jabbowal village of Punjab's Amritsar district, Gama clinched many titles during his career, including the Indian versions of the World Heavyweight Championship (1910) and the World Wrestling Championship (1927).
The legend of Gama Pehlwan is one that is intrinsically linked to Indian culture, reaching proverbial status even. Having become an almost household name, the term Gama Pehlwan is often used to comment on someone's strength.
The Google Doodle blog mentions that when Gama Pehlwan was 10, his workout routine included 500 lunges and 500 pushups at only 10 years old - making him no less than any Indian Beowulf.
Further, in 1888, Gama 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.
Just as he turned 15, Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt took up wrestling and made it to the headlines of Indian newspapers with his rave feats, where the Rustam-e-Hind was hailed as a national hero and world champion.
Not just wrestling, The Great Gama, being a Kashmiri Muslim himself, is also considered a hero for saving the lives of many Hindus during the partition of India in 1947 which was witness to a bloody aftermath, full of communal riots and violence.
Crowned as the Rustam-e-Hind and called a 'Tiger' after he won the World Wrestling Championship (1927), Gama spent the last years of his life in Lahore, Pakistan, after the partition till 1960.
The Great Gama was even presented a silver mace by the Prince of Wales during his visit to India to honour the great wrestler, while it is said that Bruce Lee was also a big fan of Gama Pehlwan and would incorporate bits of Gama's conditioning in his own training routine.