ISLAMABAD: Google paid tribute to undefeated Indian wrestler “Gama Pehlwan” on Sunday by featuring a doodle on the athlete who remained undefeated throughout international matches in the last century.
Muhammad Bakhsh Butt was born on May 22, 1878, in the Indian city of Amritsar before the 1947 partition that split British India into India and Pakistan.
Popularly known as “The Great Gama,” he started to gain national fame in India around the 1900s when working-class migrants used to compete in wrestling gymnasiums and were admired around the country for their physique.
“Today’s 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,” Google said.
According to Google, Gama’s workout routine included 500 lunges and 500 pushups at only 10 years old. In 1888, he competed in a lunge contest with over 400 wrestlers from around the country and won.
When Gama was 15, he decided to take up wrestling professionally. By 1910, national newspapers featured headlines praising Gama for winning various accolades and titles. He won the coveted 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.
Gama passed away in the Pakistani city of Lahore in 1960. He was the grandfather of Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of three-time Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
