Hamida Banu: India’s “Amazon of Aligarh” who fought against obstacles and overcame them

Google Doodle honors Hamida Banu, India's pioneering woman wrestler who defeated male wrestlers, defying gender norms with over 300 victories in the 1940s-50s.

It is today that one of the sports icons of India, who is sometimes forgotten, is being honored by Google as it publishes a Doodle on her birthday. Hamida Banu defied both gender stereotypes and the limitations imposed by a male-dominated professional wrestling industry in the mid-20th century.

The cradle of Banu, who was born in the year 1900 near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh was a family of wrestlers. She had been drawn to that sport since her childhood days, and her passion molded her into a professional athlete whose name would remain in the chronicles of history. For the next seven years and 1950s, Banu owned the ring, winning more than 300 matches, against both male and female opponents.

She is particularly remembered for the day on May 4, 1954, when she took on the male wrestler Baba Pahalwan. Overcome every single unbelief, Banu beat the male wrestler in a minute and 34 seconds and that was the last time Pahalwan participated in that sport. Her accomplishments were not limited to defeating the strong German wrestler - she also overpowered Russian wrestler Vera Chistilin in less than two minutes.

Banu's daring in the wrestling pit was utopian during the time when women's participation in games was frowned upon. Her self-assurance was so overwhelming and she did this very openly by offering to be married to any man who could defeat her in the wrestling arena.

On her fame reaching across India, the press gave her the name "the Amazon of Aligarh", and keenly followed her unique diet and rigorous schedule. Banu's victory not only made her a household name but also became a role model for female athletes from generations.

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Far from just a proficient wrestler, Hamida Banu had unfolded a page in the history of women's right to independence, defying every form of patriarchal norms. She achieved this milestone despite being a girl in a male-dominated world and she reminds the world that a girl can break any glass ceiling and shouldn’t shy away from her dreams. Today's doodle reminds us that this girl, who had trained in the dust of akhadas in Aligarh, doesn't only occupy the glorious pages of Indian sports history, but will now remain in our memory too.