Nathmal Pahalwan
Encyclopedia
Nathmal Pahalwan also known as Nathmal Pareek (1911–2006) was a wrestler and a community activist from Calcutta, India
. He was the founder of Ganga Seva Samiti Ghat and the wrestling arena in Calcutta, India. He was popularly known as Guruji (Master Teacher) and Pahalwanji (Wrestler in Hindi) by his close friends and disciples.
Guruji's dedication and persistent efforts inspired his close friends and disciples to support the holy mission of building a safe ghat
for people to worship in the river Ganges and offer prayers at the nearby temples. In English- and/or Hindi-speaking areas 'ghats' refers to the areas, in the holy river-side cities like Haridwar, Varanasi, Calcutta - where there is a stair-way to access the Ganges River.
in Rajasthan
, India. Due to his physique and height of 6.2 ft, he was encouraged to study Pehlwani
, an Indian style of wrestling, in the milked sand wrestling pits of India called akhara. He was a favorite in most wrestling tournaments in India. In addition to this, he wrestled on invitation of kings of various Indian princely states. He successfully competed against some of the greatest names in wrestling history and professional wrestlers in the United States.
During his prime days, Guruji won many wrestling contests in greater India, traveled to Nepal and Burma to wrestle against his contemporary renowned European wrestlers. He was one of the top wrestlers in Shri Ganga Singhji's (then king of Bikaner) kingdom in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India and was conferred with numerous awards. He was billed as one the greatest Pehlwani wrestlers in the history of greco-roman wrestling and had some legendary battles with Stanislaus Zbyszko and Gama Pahalwan. He won the prestigious title of Hind Kesari.
Guruji was conferred upon the title of The Lion of Rajputana in Agra (1936 A.D) by Lady Lin-lithgow (wife of then Viceroy of India - Lord Lin-lithgow) on winning a double wrestling contest. Guruji was also instrumental in training young wrestlers and having cordial relations with a number of akhadas (wrestling arenas) including, Bikaner, Calcutta, and several cities of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. He also had cordial relations with Guru Hanuman
and Dara Singh
.
He held his wrestling and spiritual gurus (teachers) in great esteem and was always grateful to them for their advice.
He was instrumental in the establishment and development of a number of temples and community centers across India.
Some of the community centers include: Bara Bazar Yuvak Sangh, Calcutta - founded in year 1939, Maruti Vyayam Mandir, Bikaner - founded in year 1946 and Ganga Seva Samita Ghat, Calcutta - founded in year 1945.
Ved Mata Gayatri and Shiv Temple, Liluah, Pareek Bhavan, Calcutta, Sita Ram Mandir/Bhavan, Sandwa, Rajasthan and Shiva Temple in Bammu, Rajasthan were some of the temples he setup.
He was a very active social worker and encouraged, personally donated large sums of money to the welfare of the poor, down-trodden and convinced the wealthy to donate to the charities and help the communities.
Though Wrestling in traditional clay pits is on the decline, but there are still many akharas left thanks to dedicated people like Guruji, who worked to keep this ancient part of Indian culture alive.
On Friday, September 17, 2010, a statue http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NathmalPahalwan.jpg of Guruji was unveiled at Ganga Seva Samithi, Calcutta to commemorate his life and his achievements. It was attended by his family, friends, a number of political leaders and social workers, who looked upon Guruji as their role model.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the founder of Ganga Seva Samiti Ghat and the wrestling arena in Calcutta, India. He was popularly known as Guruji (Master Teacher) and Pahalwanji (Wrestler in Hindi) by his close friends and disciples.
Guruji's dedication and persistent efforts inspired his close friends and disciples to support the holy mission of building a safe ghat
Ghat
Ghat is the capital of the Ghat District in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya.-History:In historical times, Ghat was a major terminal point on the Trans-Saharan trade route and a major administrative center in the Fezzan...
for people to worship in the river Ganges and offer prayers at the nearby temples. In English- and/or Hindi-speaking areas 'ghats' refers to the areas, in the holy river-side cities like Haridwar, Varanasi, Calcutta - where there is a stair-way to access the Ganges River.
History
During early to mid 1900's, in India, wrestling took place in clay or dirt pit. The soil is mixed with milk and ghee (pasteurized butter) and is then softened before each practice. Traditional Indian wrestling is not just a sport - it is an ancient subculture where wrestlers live and train together and follow strict rules on everything from what they can eat to what they can do in their spare time. Drinking and smoking are off limits. The focus is on living a pure life, building strength and honing their wrestling skills.Championships and accomplishments
Guruji was from the area near the village SandwaSandwa
Sandwa is a town in Churu district in the Shekhawati region of Indian state of Rajasthan. Sandwa is situated on Jaipur-Bikaner Highway . It is 245 km away from the Jaipur, 125 km from Bikaner and 405 km from Delhi....
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, India. Due to his physique and height of 6.2 ft, he was encouraged to study Pehlwani
Pehlwani
Pehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
, an Indian style of wrestling, in the milked sand wrestling pits of India called akhara. He was a favorite in most wrestling tournaments in India. In addition to this, he wrestled on invitation of kings of various Indian princely states. He successfully competed against some of the greatest names in wrestling history and professional wrestlers in the United States.
During his prime days, Guruji won many wrestling contests in greater India, traveled to Nepal and Burma to wrestle against his contemporary renowned European wrestlers. He was one of the top wrestlers in Shri Ganga Singhji's (then king of Bikaner) kingdom in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India and was conferred with numerous awards. He was billed as one the greatest Pehlwani wrestlers in the history of greco-roman wrestling and had some legendary battles with Stanislaus Zbyszko and Gama Pahalwan. He won the prestigious title of Hind Kesari.
Guruji was conferred upon the title of The Lion of Rajputana in Agra (1936 A.D) by Lady Lin-lithgow (wife of then Viceroy of India - Lord Lin-lithgow) on winning a double wrestling contest. Guruji was also instrumental in training young wrestlers and having cordial relations with a number of akhadas (wrestling arenas) including, Bikaner, Calcutta, and several cities of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. He also had cordial relations with Guru Hanuman
Guru Hanuman
Guru Hanuman was a legendary wrestling coach of India who coached many medal-winning wrestlers. He was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 1987, the highest recognition for a sports coach in India, and the Padma Shri in 1983.-Early life:Guru was born as Vijay Pal on 15 March 1930, in...
and Dara Singh
Dara Singh
Dara Singh Randhawa is a wrestler and Indian film actor. He was born in a Jat Sikh family of Punjabi background.He was a wrestler before he started acting in Hindi films in 1962....
.
He held his wrestling and spiritual gurus (teachers) in great esteem and was always grateful to them for their advice.
Community service
Guruji was not only a renowned wrestler of his time winning a number of prestigious titles but was a great philanthropist too. He firmly believed 'Shareer madhyam khalu dharma sadhanam', meaning - It is through a healthy body alone that one will be able to serve God and Society.He was instrumental in the establishment and development of a number of temples and community centers across India.
Some of the community centers include: Bara Bazar Yuvak Sangh, Calcutta - founded in year 1939, Maruti Vyayam Mandir, Bikaner - founded in year 1946 and Ganga Seva Samita Ghat, Calcutta - founded in year 1945.
Ved Mata Gayatri and Shiv Temple, Liluah, Pareek Bhavan, Calcutta, Sita Ram Mandir/Bhavan, Sandwa, Rajasthan and Shiva Temple in Bammu, Rajasthan were some of the temples he setup.
He was a very active social worker and encouraged, personally donated large sums of money to the welfare of the poor, down-trodden and convinced the wealthy to donate to the charities and help the communities.
Guruji's family
Guruji died in 2006 in Calcutta after a brief illness. He was a symbol of strength and saintliness and is revered among the people from all walks of life. He visited all over India, the US and UK and enjoyed a great family life. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. The older son is a business man in India, younger son is a prominent technology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley (USA) and the daughter is settled in Bangalore. His grand kids are settled in the Calcutta area, Bangalore, Delhi, Vizag and the USA.Though Wrestling in traditional clay pits is on the decline, but there are still many akharas left thanks to dedicated people like Guruji, who worked to keep this ancient part of Indian culture alive.
On Friday, September 17, 2010, a statue http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NathmalPahalwan.jpg of Guruji was unveiled at Ganga Seva Samithi, Calcutta to commemorate his life and his achievements. It was attended by his family, friends, a number of political leaders and social workers, who looked upon Guruji as their role model.
See also
- PehlwaniPehlwaniPehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
- Catch wrestlingCatch wrestlingCatch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...
- Bholu PahalwanBholu PahalwanBholu 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...
- Dara SinghDara SinghDara Singh Randhawa is a wrestler and Indian film actor. He was born in a Jat Sikh family of Punjabi background.He was a wrestler before he started acting in Hindi films in 1962....
- Professional wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
- Premchand DograPremchand DograPremchand Degra is an IFBB professional bodybuilder from India. Also mentioned as Premchand Degra/Dhingra. He won the Mr. Universe title in the short-height 80 kg category in 1988. He was also awarded the "Achievement Medal" by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness in...