Aslam Pahalwan
Encyclopedia
Career
Aslam Pahalwan started his wrestling career as the pupil of Hamida PahalwanHamida Pahalwan
Hamida Pahalwan was an Indian wrestler in Radhanpur during the 1930s. He worked as an official wrestler for the Nawab Jalaluddin of Radhanpur. He is the former Rustam-i-Hind and one of the elite champions of the British India. Hamida Pahalwan was the maternal uncle of the Bholu Brothers of...
and also the Great Gama of India. Aslam is one of the unbeatable wrestlers that the art of traditional wrestling produced when it flourished in India during the past.
His exercise routine was similar to that of his elder brother Bholu Pahalwan
Bholu Pahalwan
Bholu was one of the most popular wrestlers of 1950s. His name has been recorded in the annals of wrestling. Bholu originates from aGujjar family of renowned wrestlers from Amritsar, Punjab. He lived in Amritsar till age 9. Then during one of his school holidays Bholu moved to Patiala to visit his...
. He trained thrice a day, relying mostly on basic Pahalwani exercises, such as bodyweight exercises like the Indian Pushups called dands and squats known as baithaks in the regional language, Or other ancient workouts like the Indian weight training with stones called nals and heavy clubs exercise known as Joris to increase strength, stamina and flexibility. A high-calorie and nutritious diet was a must to sustain bodyweight after a strenuous workout. He usually consumed an entire goat during a single meal.
Aslam started wrestling during 1940s. He commenced his career by participating in tournaments held mostly in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
, but he also competed in games held in other parts of India. His first wrestling match was in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
against Bala Pahalwan of India. He defeated his opponent in only ninety seconds. In another important test of his career Aslam defeated Niranjan Singh in Patiala in less than two minutes. During the pre-partition days, the Maharaja of Patiala used to sponsor a wrestling championship in his princely state each year, during the Islamic month of Moharram. During one such tournament Aslam defeated a wrestler known as Puran Singh, in a final showdown. He was rewarded a sum of ten thousand rupees by the Maharaja Bhopindar Singh for his success. He later moved into the limelight by beating Kala Pahalwan and Aslam Mohni Wala in the city of Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
After the Indian Partition, Aslam got stationed in Lahore, Pakistan. He mostly confronted the best wrestlers of Pakistani Punjab. In 1951, Aslam defeated the highly-skilled Younus Pahalwan a.k.a. Younus Gujranwala of Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
for the title of Rustam-e-Punjab. He was officially declared Rustam-i-Punjab (i.e. Champion of Punjab) in Minto Park, Lahore. After becoming the champion of Punjab, he wrestled and defeated a number of bona fide wrestlers, like the 1939 IWA Heavyweight Champion, Australian George Pencheff, who were operating throughout India during early 1950s. The exact record of Aslam Pahalwan’s wrestling bouts has not been arranged yet. However, in 1953, he won the Commonwealth Championship. Aslam then issued challenges to wrestlers all over the world and announced a reward of 100,000 rupees to any wrestler who could beat him. In a challenge match, Aslam defeated the famed Indian wrestler Tarlok Singh at the National Stadium in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in the second round. In Nairobi in 1953 he defeated the Indian Wrestler Mahinder Singh. In another challenge match, Aslam defeated the European Heavyweight Champion, and former World Champion, Bert Assirati
Bert Assirati
Bartolomeo Esserati , also known as Bert Assirati, was an English professional wrestler who became a multiple time British Heavyweight Champion, and, posthumously, a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame...
in Bombay, India
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
on June 3, 1954in front of the 40,000 in attendance. Assirati was the strongest man in wrestling at the time of this match. An Indian entrepreneur rewarded Aslam with a sum of ten thousand rupees on his victory.
During the 50s, Aslam faced all challengers with a great deal of success. In 1957, he travelled to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. In Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Aslam announced a one hundred thousand dollar reward for any wrestler who could beat him. In response to his challenge, he confronted twenty different wrestlers from around the world, and defeated them all. Even a number of significant wrestlers, like King Kong and Sheik Wadi Ayuob, failed to beat him. Aslam later defeated Tiger Sucha Singh and Joginder Singh
Joginder Singh
Joginder Singh is the name of:* Joginder Singh , Subedar in the Indian Army* Joginder Singh , Kenyan former rally driver* Joginder Singh , Indian hockey player...
at the National Stadium in Karachi in a challenge match. In May 1962 he defeated King Kong Czaja
King Kong (Emile Czaja)
Emile Czaja, also known by his ring name King Kong, was an Indian professional wrestler active from 1937 until 1956.-Professional wrestling career:...
(the largest attraction in the history of wrestling) and Lofty Binnie of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in Karachi.
During the early 60s, he wrestled in India and Pakistan. In 1967 Aslam was sponsored by British promoter Christopher Whelan. He toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and faced opponents at the leading arenas of the North, Midlands and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. There he defeated the Canadian Champion George Gordienko
George Gordienko
George Gordienko was a Canadian professional wrestler and artist. Born of first generation Ukrainian and Cossack-Canadian parents in North Winnipeg, Manitoba, by age 17 Gordienko had received numerous awards for his physical prowess...
. Aslam On his return home he was awarded the President's Award of Pride of Performance
Rashtrapati Award
Rashtrapati Awards are given by the President of India, in some cases the prime Minister of India, for achievements in the field of Sports, Art, Military, Literature, Cinema, Culture, Science & Technology etc. The award-giving ceremony is conducted in the Rashtrapati Bhavan - the President's...
. http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%22aslam+pahlwan%22&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&dups=1&fr=FP-tab-web-t&vst=0&vs=www.sports.gov.pk&u=www.sports.gov.pk/html/pride_of_performance_wrestling.htm&w=%22aslam+pahlwan%22&d=GlafYEaqMjoM&icp=1&.intl=us. In 1971 he wrestled in United Kingdom for the second time but this visit was cut short due to India-Pakistan war. He was managed by the British wrestling promoter Orig Williams
Orig Williams
Orig Williams was a Welsh professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. Williams spent his wrestling career in the persona of a villainous heel under the pseudonym "El Bandito", and after retiring as a fighter he became a promoter, manager and television presenter...
.
Aslam gave up wrestling during the early 1970s. He commenced his bout with a charge clashing with his opponent, and used a combination of maneuvers like the Boston Crab
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
to subdue his opponents. Aslam is best remembered for his victory over Bert Assirati in 1954. He died on 7 January 1989 at the age of 62 in Pakistan. His son Zubair Aslam a.k.a Jhara Pahalwan
Jhara Pahalwan
JHARA Pahalwan was a well known professional wrestler in Pakistan. He belongs to a prominent wrestling family. He was the Pakistani Champion of the past era. He was a powerhouse of wrestling like his father Aslam Pahalwan. He was also a master of the art of mud-wrestling like his uncle Bholu...
was a champion wrestler.