Google Doodle Today: Who Was Hamida Banu? The 'Amazon of Aligarh' And India's Trailblazing Woman Wrestler

Google Doodle honours Hamida Banu, India's first professional female wrestler, who defied gender stereotypes in the 1940s and 50s. Her remarkable journey paved the way for women in sports.

Google Doodle celebrates Hamida Banu who shattered gender barriers.

Google Doodle Today: In a celebration of women's achievements, the Google Doodle today (May 4, 2024) commemorates Hamida Banu, a pioneering Indian woman wrestler who defied the odds to break into the male-dominated world of wrestling in the 1940s and 50s. Known as India's first professional female wrestler, Banu journey to prominence was remarkable, though paved with bold challenges.

In February 1954, when Banu was in her early 30s, she announced that any man who could beat her in a wrestling match would earn her hand in marriage, according to a BBC report. She subsequently defeated two male champions, one from Patiala and another from Kolkata. For her third match that year, she went to Vadodara, where she fought Baba Pahalwan after another male wrestler withdrew, refusing to face a woman. Banu won the bout in just 1 minute and 34 seconds.

Banu had earned a formidable reputation over a decade. In 1944, she reportedly drew a crowd of 20,000 in Mumbai to watch her face Goonga Pahalwan. Although the fight was called off due to her opponent's demands, Banu continued to captivate the public's imagination. Newspapers dubbed her the "Amazon of Aligarh" after her hometown in Uttar Pradesh, the BBC report said.

In a 1954 bout in Mumbai, Banu reportedly defeated Vera Chistilin, who was called Russia's "female bear", in less than one minute's time. 

Banu's physique and intense training regimen often made headlines. Standing at 5'3" (1.6m) and weighing 108kg, she reportedly consumed an extraordinary diet — 5.6 litres of milk, 1.8 litres of fruit juice, 2.8 litres of soup, nearly 1kg of mutton and almonds, a fowl, two big loaves of bread, 500g butter, 6 eggs, and two plates of biryani — every day to fuel her nine-hour sleep and six-hour training schedule, according to the BBC report. 

Difficult Personal Life

Despite her accolades, Banu's career was marred by controversies. Some claimed her fights were pre-arranged, while others criticised her for challenging societal norms. One match against Ramchandra Salunke had to be cancelled following objections from the local wrestling federation, and she was once booed and stoned by the crowd after defeating a male wrestler, the BBC report said.

"The blurring of sports and entertainment in these events is illustrated by the fact that Banu's bout was to be followed by a bout between two wrestlers, one lame and the other blind," academic Ronojoy Sen wrote in his book, 'Nation At Play: A History of Sport in India'.

Banu's personal life was equally turbulent. Quoting Feroz Shaikh, her grandson, the report said Banu's coach, Salam Pahalwan, had tried to prevent her from going to Europe by breaking her hands. Her neighbour Rahil Khan told BBC that she was left with fractured legs also after the attack. "She was unable to stand. It healed later, but she could not walk properly for years without a lathi [stick]."

Following this incident, she disappeared from the wrestling scene, retreating to Kalyan where she made a modest living selling milk and snacks until her death in 1986. According to Shaikh, her last days had been difficult.

Despite the struggles she faced, Hamida Banu's legacy endures as a testament to her indomitable spirit and the barriers she broke for women in sports, fighting against the norms of the times she lived in.