Hamida Banu was born in the early 1900s in the Uttar Pradesh region of Aligarh. She is regarded as the first professional woman wrestler in India. During the 1940s and 1950s, she became well-known during a period when social norms strongly discouraged women from participating in sports. Her extraordinary achievements and charismatic demeanor made her a worldwide celebrity. She was a trailblazer in her era, and people in India and around the globe are inspired by her bravery. Today’s Google Doodle honors Ms. Banu’s extraordinary life, whose legacy exemplifies tenacity, willpower, and breaking down barriers.

Who was Hamida Banu? 

Hamida Banu was born into a family of wrestlers in the early 1900s near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. She entered into wrestling at a time when women’s participation in athletics was strongly discouraged by prevalent social norms. However, Ms Banu was “passionate and she competed with men anyway, issuing an open challenge to all male wrestlers and wagering her hand in marriage to the first to defeat her,” as per Google.

Ms Banu’s career even extended into the international arena, where she won against a Russian woman wrestler Vera Chistilin in less than two minutes. “Her name appeared in newspaper headlines for years, and she became known as the “Amazon of Aligarh.” The bouts she won, her diet, and her training regimen were widely covered,” Google wrote.

“Hamida Banu was a trailblazer of her time, and her fearlessness is remembered throughout India and across the world. Outside of her sporting accomplishments, she will always be celebrated for staying true to herself,” it added.

What made Hamida Banu popular? 

“Beat me in a bout and I’ll marry you”. This was the challenge that Ms Banu made to male wrestlers in February 1954, as per BBC. Soon after the announcement, she defeated two male wrestling champions – one from Punjab’s Patiala and the other from Kolkata in West Bengal.

Ms. Banu then traveled to Vadodara, Gujarat, in May for her third fight of the year. Baba Pahalwan was her next opponent, but the wrestler she was meant to face pulled out of the match at the last minute. When Ms. Banu prevailed, the fight had only lasted one minute and thirty-four seconds. After that, he gave up on professional wrestling.

After that, Ms. Banu’s diet, height, and weight all made headlines. The “Amazon of Aligarh” was the moniker given to her. According to accounts from her surviving relatives, she left her hometown of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh for Aligarh because of her strength and the conservative views prevalent at the time.

In a 1987 book, author Maheshwar Dayal wrote that Ms Banu’s fame attracted people from far and wide as she fought several bouts in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. However, she also faced challenges from people who were infuriated by her public performances. Once, she was also booed and stoned by fans after she defeated a male opponent.

However, this never stopped Ms Banu from pursuing her passion. In 1954, she triumphed over Vera Chistilin, dubbed Russia’s “female bear”. The same year, she announced she would go to Europe to fight wrestlers there.

Personal life 

But after defeating Ms Chistilin in Mumbai, Ms Banu appeared to vanish from the wrestling scene. According to BBC, this was the point where her life changed. Quoting Feroz Shaikh, her grandson, the report said Ms Banu’s coach, Salam Pahalwan, did not like her going to Europe. He tried preventing her from doing so.

Rahil Khan, her neighbor, claims that Ms. Banu’s coach physically assaulted her, breaking both of her legs. She couldn’t even stand. She needed a lathi for years until it healed, but Rahil Khan was cited in the report as saying that.

Salam Pahalwan’s daughter Sahara claimed that her stepmother, Ms. Banu, was the woman he had married. On the other hand, Ms. Banu’s grandson disagreed, having lived with her until her death in 1986. “She did live with him, but she never got married,” Mr. Shaikh was cited in the report as saying.

Ms. Bani earned a living, according to the BBC, by renting out certain buildings and selling milk. She used to sell her homemade snacks by the side of the road when she ran out of money.

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