Quick Info
| Profession | Wrestler |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Date of Birth | 22/05/1878 |
| Age | 82 years (died on 23, May, 1960) |
| Birthplace | Jabbowal village, Amritsar |
| Date of Death | 23/05/1960 |
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Physical Stats & More
| Height | 5'7" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 110 kg |
Personal Life
| Gama moved to Lahore in early 1947 ahead of Indian independence and partition. |
Family
| Father | Muhammad Aziz Baksh |
|---|---|
| Siblings | Younger brother: Imam Bakhsh |
| Spouse | Wazeer Begum |
| Children | 5 sons, 4 daughters |
Career
| At age 10, became well-known for wrestling in his village. | |
| At age 15, entered a strongman competition with 400 wrestlers and finished in top 15; named winner by Maharaja of Jodhpur. | |
| At age 17 in 1895, challenged and drew with Indian champion Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala. | |
| On 23/12/1902, lifted a 1200 kg stone alone in Baroda; required 25 men to lift it later. | |
| In 1910, won world heavyweight championship (Rustam-e-Zamana) in London by defeating Stanislaus Zbyszko, Benjamin Roller, and others. | |
| After return from England, defeated Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala to win Rustam-e-Hind title. | |
| Won Indian version of world wrestling championship in 1927. | |
| Remained undefeated over 52-year career; retired in 1952 at age 74. |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Gama was known as 'Rustam-e-Hind' and 'Rustam-e-Zamana'. | |
| 2. His diet included 2 gallons of milk, 6 desi chickens, and almond paste tonic drink. | |
| 3. During training, Gama did 5000 squats and 3000 pushups daily. | |
| 4. He lifted a stone over 1,200 kilograms in Baroda. | |
| 5. Gama bested top wrestlers from countries like the USA and France. | |
| 6. Bruce Lee admired and followed Gama's training regimen. | |
| 7. First trained by his father; later trained by Maharaja of Datia after father's death. | |
| 8. Challenged opponents to first defeat his brother Imam Bakhsh (6'3" tall) before facing him, deterring many challengers until 1950s. | |
| 9. During 1947 partition riots in Lahore, saved lives of Hindus on Mohni Road. |