India’s First Woman Wrestler Hamida Banu: Hamida Banu, often referred to as the ‘Amazon of Aligarh,’ was known to challenge male wrestlers openly by offering them a unique proposal: whoever defeated her in a match would marry her.
Google paid tribute to India’s first professional female wrestler, Hamida Banu, through a spectacular and beautiful doodle. The doodle, created by Bengaluru artist Divya Negi, depicts the wrestler in a pink, polka-dotted attire, ready to grapple, surrounded by plants and animals.
Tech giants changed their homepage logo to celebrate Hamida Banu’s life, who entered the realm of men-dominated wrestling during the 1940s and ’50s. Hamida Banu, a name distinct in the Indian wrestling arena.
Google wrote, “On this day in 1954, Banu was recognized and celebrated for an international-level wrestling match – where she defeated the famous wrestler Baba Pahelwan in just 1 minute and 34 seconds, after which Banu retired from professional wrestling.”
Birth and Wrestling Career of Hamida Banu:
Her birth took place in the early ’90s in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Growing up in a family of wrestlers, she observed wrestling closely. Throughout her illustrious career, she won more than 300 competitions between the 1940s and 1950s.
In the early ’90s, encouraged by prevailing social norms promoting women’s participation, her success stood as a symbol of women empowerment, breaking all patriarchal constraints.
Challenging Male Wrestlers by Hamida Banu:
Banu openly challenged male wrestlers, declaring that whoever defeated her first would marry her. Her career extended internationally, where she secured victory against Russian female wrestler Vera Chistilina in less than two minutes.
Known as the ‘Amazon of Aligarh’:
Banu was often referred to as the “Amazon of Aligarh.” Her victories, diet, and training were extensively covered. Hamida Banu was a leading figure of her time in wrestling. Her courage is often remembered across India and worldwide. Besides her sporting achievements, Banu is celebrated for staying true to herself and choosing a path that she enjoyed, despite societal norms and pressures.
Divya Negi, who created the Google doodle for Hamida, shared, “I delved deep into Hamida’s world during my doodle research.”
She further expressed, “It was inspiring to know that she fought vigorously against the prevailing conservative norms of her time. Going against the groupthink is one of the toughest tasks, and as a woman, it adds another layer of complexity. Yet, Hamida led and won.” (Inputs from ANI)