Who is Hamida Banu
Hamida Banu was the first recorded female wrestler in history(19th century) ,defying societal norms to produce her passion for wrestling. She renowned for her unmatched abilities, she competed in wrestling matches and tournaments and most of the time defeating male opponents. Hamida Banu is became a symbol of courage and empowerment, earning wider spread fame and admiration in India.
And the most recent news about her is that, Google Doodle pays tribute to Hamida Banu, as India’s first women wrestler. The Google Doodle prescription reads,” 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.”
Competed against famous wrestler Baba Pahalwan
India’s pioneering female wrestler, who defied norms by winning over 300 matches against male. In 1954 she played against a wrestler Baba Pahalwan whom she defeated in 1 minute 34 seconds. For this competition she issued an open challenge to all men wrestlers, wagering her hand in marriage to whoever defeats her. The famous Baba Pahalwan also issued an open challenge that if he loss the game he will retire from professional wrestling. According to the result of that competition following the loss, he retired from professional wrestling.
All about the Incredible women Hamida Banu
She was born in the early 1900s near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Hamida Banu was born into a family of wrestlers. She entered into wrestling at a time when women’s participation in athletics was strongly discouraged by prevalent social norms. At that time she competed in matches over 300 with men and defeated them.
Hamida Banu was 5 feet and 3 inches tall and weighted 108 kgs, as per reports. A BBC report says, “Her daily diet included 5.6 litres of milk, 2.8 litres of soup, 1.8 litres of fruit juice, a fowl, nearly 1kg mutton and almonds, half a kilo of butter, 6 eggs, two big loaves of bread, and two plates of biryani.” While Reuters noted, “She sleeps nine hours a day and trains another six”.
Table of contents
- Who is she
- Competed Competed against Famous Wrestler Baba Pahalwan
- All about Her