Before making his name in the world of wrestling, Gama was known as Ghulam Muhammad and was born in Amritsar on May 22, 1878. At the age of just 10, he won acclaimed wrestlers and quickly appeared on public radar.
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| The Great Gama |
At the age of 17, he crossed paths with Indian wrestling champion Raheem Baksh Sultaniwala, who was seven feet [7 m] tall. The battle raged for hours, and finally both opponents were declared victorious.
Granddaughter of Gama Pehalwan and wrestler Nasir Bholu himself says that by 1910, Gama had won all the best in India. It was during this time that he traveled to England with his brother.
When Gama arrived in London, he issued an open challenge to all wrestlers in Europe, saying he would win any wrestling match, of any weight class that dared to fight him within 30 minutes. Before taking part in any wars, Gama said he could defeat the men or give the prize money back to his country, he explains.
With poles so high and the interests of a few looted, he first entered the ring against American warrior Benjamin Roller. The fight lasted 40 seconds in total and Gama came out victorious.
The next day, Gama won 12 more wrestlers and made headlines in the world championships. Surprised by the situation, the then world heavyweight champion, Stanislaus Zbyszko, accepted Gama's challenge.
The two met in the struggle ring on September 10, 1910. The battle lasted two and a half hours in total but was said to be unrelated. The fight was scheduled for a week later on September 17. However, Stanislaus Zbyszko did not show up, and Gama won the match with John Bull's belt.
After 17 years, Stanislaus Zbyszko challenged Gama in another game in Patiala. The match lasted 40 seconds, with Gama winning.
"The golden rule of wrestling is that anyone who deviates from the rules of the game will not succeed," said Bholu.
After returning to the country, he fought Raheem Baksh Sultaniwala again. In this case, Gama emerged victorious and won the title of Rustam-e-Hind.
After returning home with his international awards, Gama was welcomed by a large number of fans.
In the middle of one of these circles, an elder in the wrestling world told Gama that he was going to fill his hookah bowl. Without delay, Gama hurriedly filled the bowl and left the circle behind. However, the elder asked her to sit down and forget about the hookah bowl. The purpose of this was to determine if his international fame had reached his head, explained Bolu.
Gama's daily diet consisted of 15 liters of milk, three pounds [3 kg] of butter, lamb, 20 pounds [20 kg] of almonds, and three baskets of fruit. All Gama's food expenses were borne by the Maharaja of Patiala.
Fighting with 40 athletes, doing 5,000 sit-ups and 3,000 push-ups was part of his daily training, Bolu said.
After the divorce, Gama moved to Lahore with his family where he fell into difficult times. He appealed to the then General Manager, Khawaja Nazimuddin, for the government to subsidize his food needs. On his return, he promised to win Pakistani wrestling degrees.
Unfortunately, the general manager backed down when he heard about the amount of Gama's food and referred the matter to other officials.
There is no doubt that Gama was a great help to Pakistan. However, he spent the last years of his life in difficult financial times. In order to manage the household affairs, he was forced to sell his own titles and lips.
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| Gama in his old age |
A wrestler fan used to give him a sum of Rs2,000. By comparison, his pension from the government was Rs300. When he finally fell ill, the government did not show interest in his treatment. Thus, after a long and well-known career in wrestling, Gama passed away at the age of 82.
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