Gama Pehalwan's 124th Birthday: All you need to know about unbeaten Indian wrestler whom Bruce Lee used to idolise

Source/Twitter

Google Doodle is celebrating the 144th birth anniversary of Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt AKA The Great Gama today. The Indian wrestler remained unbeaten throughout his international career and thus was named 'The Great Gama'. He was considered one of the best wrestlers of all time. 

Gama Pehelwan's 124th Birthday pic.twitter.com/8j5kQrDXbV

— Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) May 22, 2022

"Gama Pehlwan was widely considered one of the best wrestlers of all time. Gama remained undefeated throughout his international matches and earned the name “The Great Gama.” Today’s Doodle—created by guest artist Vrinda Zaveri—celebrates Gama Pehlwan’s accomplishments in the ring but also the impact and representation he brought to Indian culture," Google wrote about the wrestler. 

Achievements of Gama Pehelwan

In his wrestling career, Gama was the Indian version of the World Heavyweight Championship (1910) and the World Wrestling Championship (1927). After winning the WWC in 1927 he was named 'Tiger' of the tournament. The wrestler also received a silver mace from the Prince of Wales. 

Followers around the World

Bruce Lee was an avid follower of Gama's training routine. Lee read articles about Gama and how he employed his exercises to build his legendary strength for wrestling, and Lee quickly incorporated them into his own routine. The training routines Lee used included "the cat stretch", and 'the squat'. Today, a doughnut-shaped exercise disc called Hasli weighing 100 kg, used by him for squats and pushups, is housed at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Museum in Patiala, India.

Daily Training Routine

Gama's daily training consisted of grappling with forty of his fellow wrestlers in the akhada (court). He did a minimum of five thousand baithaks (squats) and three thousand dands (Indian word for pushups) in a day and even sometimes more within 30 to 45 minutes each by wearing a doughnut-shaped wrestling apparatus called a Hasli of 1 Quintal (approx. 100 kilos).