G.mam.Mohammad Baksh Butt, also known as Gama Pehlwan or “The Great Gama,” was a legendary Indian wrestler whose record-breaking body muscular power and excellence awarded him an undefeated world wrestling champion title in the pages of 20th-century history. On May 22, 1878, at Jabbowal Village, Amritsar, Punjab, British India, the great wrestler greeted the world with his arrival, and his long-enduring popularity still inspires wrestlers and sportsmen all over the globe.
Early Life and Family
Gama was a part of a highly renowned Kashmiri Muslim wrestling family. His father, Muhammad Aziz Baksh, was similarly a renowned court wrestler and was sponsored by the Datia Maharaja Bhawani Singh. The Datia Maharaja sponsored Gama posthumously and schooled him in the art of wrestling. Gama’s brother, Imam Baksh Pahalwan, also became a wrestler. He married Wazir Begum and had four sons and five daughters.
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Physical Stature
Gama was 5 feet 8 inches tall due to his serious training regimen. His chest measured a whoppin’ 52 inches, biceps 22 inches, and waist 36 inches. Wheatish complexion, black eyes, and hair added dominating presence on the mat of wrestling.
Wrestling Career
Gama began wrestling at a very young age. In 1888, at the age of 10, he was already wrestling in a tournament in Jodhpur, which consisted of more than 400 wrestlers.
In 1895, when Gama was 17 years old, he wrestled then reigning Indian wrestling champion Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala, a man of more than 7 feet tall. The match was tied, but it made Gama a wrestler to be reckoned with in the world of wrestling.
Gama never lost a bout in his fifty years of wrestling, and thus he was awarded the title of “Rustam-e-Hind” (Champion of India).
Training and Diet
Gama’s training schedule was a daily routine of legend. He did 5,000 bethaks and 3,000 dands daily. His diet schedule was no less daunting, and that included 10 liters of milk, six desi birds, and a pound and half ground almond paste liquidified. All such intense exercise did help him derive his unmatched strength and endurance.
Later Life and Death
Throughout his life after retirement, Gama had financial as well as health issues such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. His image, however, survived. Gama Pehlwan died on May 23, 1960, at Lahore, Pakistan, one day prior to his 82nd birthday.
Legacy
Gama Pehlwan’s life is a living testament to the endeavors that never abated, will power, and unmatched talent, and he remains a legend of wrestling history.
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