Google decided to celebrate India’s first woman wrestler who is professional, Hamida Banu. Hamida Banu is depicted to be surrounded by local flora and fauna through a doodle illustrated by artist Divya Negi from Bangalore. This remarks the entry of woman into sports which are usually dominated by males in the 1940s and 50s.
“This Doodle celebrates Indian wrestler Hamida Banu, who is widely considered to be India’s first professional woman wrestler,” the Google Doodle description read.
Hamida Banu, India’s first woman wrestler from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh was born in the early 1900s. She had won more than 300 competitions in her overall career.
The day of May 4 was decided to pay tribute to her because it was the day when she was challenged and defeated to a strong wrestler Baba Pahalwan. She got retired from wrestling after that.
“On this day in 1954, the wrestling match that earned Banu international recognition and acclaim was reported – she had defeated famed wrestler Baba Pahalwan, in just 1 minute and 34 seconds, after which the latter retired from professional wrestling,” Google wrote in the description of the doodle.
Hamida Banu is a passionate wrestler and competed with men in every possible way, she had faced all male wrestlers and wagering her hand in marriage to the first to defeat her. “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,” as said by Google on the day.
On this auspicious day, artist Divya Negi said that, “I delved into Hamida’s world during my doodle research. It was inspiring to learn that she fought fiercely against the conservative norms of her time. Going against groupthink is one of the hardest things one can do, and being a woman adds another level of complexity to it. Despite that, Hamida powered through and won.”