New Delhi: Google paid tribute to India’s first professional female wrestler Hamida Banu through a striking and beautiful Doodle. The illustrated Doodle, crafted by Bengaluru-based artist Divya Negi, portrays the wrestler adorned in a pink, polka-dotted attire, holding her hands in a fighting position and surrounded by flora and fauna.
The tech giant has changed their homepage logo to celebrate the life of Hamida Banu who entered the sport that was dominated by the male population during the 1940s and 50s. India’s first professional female wrestler Hamida Banu, a name that stands out in the realm of Indian wrestling.
Google wrote 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”.
Hamida Banu Birth And Wrestling Career:
She was born in the early 90s hailed from Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh. She grew up seeing wrestling as she was born into a family of wrestlers. During her captivating career, she won over 300 competitions between the 1940s and 1950s.
During the early 90s, women’s participation was strongly discouraged by prevalent social norms, however, by breaking all the shackles of patriarchy her success was the epitome of women’s empowerment.
Hamida Banu Challenged To Male Wrestlers:
Bhanu gave an open challenge to the male wrestlers that the first one to defeat her would have her hand for marriage. Banu’s career extended into the international arena as well, where she won against a Russian woman wrestler Vera Chistilin in less than two minutes.
Known As Amazon of Aligarh:
Banu was often called the “Amazon of Aligarh.” The bouts she won, her diet, and her training regimen were widely covered.Hamida Banu was a pioneer of wrestling of her time. Her courage is often remembered throughout India and across the world. Apart from her sporting accomplishments, Banu will always be celebrated for staying true to herself and choosing what she loved doing without looking at the social norms.
Divya Negi, Who Crafted Google Doodle, Exploring Hamida’s World:
Bengaluru-based artist Divya Negi who created the Google Doodle said she was inspired by Banu’s fight against conservative norms of the day. Artist Divya Negi said “I delved into Hamida’s world during my doodle research.
She further said “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”. (With inputs from ANI)