Gulam was a renowed wrestler and a practitioner of the Indian wrestling style of Pehlwani. Gulam participated in early catch wrestling tournaments in Europe. At 5 foot 9, 280 pounds, Gulam wrestled in Paris in 1900 at the time of the great exposition. Pehlwani Maruti Mane, winner of the Hind-Kesari title of India and 1970 British Commonwealth Games silver medalist in wrestling Modern Indian wrestling, or Pehlwani (Devanagari: पहलवानी), is a synthesis of an indigenous Hindu form of wrestling that dates back at least to at least the 5th century BC [1] and... Catch wrestling is a popular style of wrestling with origins in a variety of styles, most notably those of Lancashire, England, collar-and-elbow, and catch-as-catch-can (which is the immediate source of its name). ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven continents of the Earth. ...

In Paris, Gulam's manager extended a challenge to Turkish wrestler Cour-Derelli. The wrestling bout in Paris saw the likes of Pandit Motilal Nehru in attendence. Motilal Nehru (May 6, 1861 - February 6, 1931) was an early leader of the Indian National Congress and Indian Nationalism. ...

Edmond Desbonnet’s account of the bout was given in his 1910 book, Les Rois de la Lutte. According to this account, the newcomer dominated Cour-Derelli. In order to avoid harming the financial interests of those who bet on Cour-Derelli, the bets on the bout were called off. Gulam was proclaimed the winner, but all bets were reimbursed.

Gulam returned to India where, shortly after 1900, he died of cholera.

Desbonnet referred to Gulam as one of he two "super wrestlers" of modern times (the other being Youssouf Ishmaelo) and Stanislaus Zbyszko told Robert W. Smith that, although he had never met Gulam himself, "I got information off one wrestler who did train with Gulam. He was the ruler of his day, of the mat, of human strength." Stanislaus Zbyszko in Night and the City (1950) Stanislaus Zbyszko (Polish: Stanisław Jan Cyganiewicz; Zbyszko was really only his nickname, which was given him by friends due to his bravery, when he was a kid) was a professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. ...

Gulam should not be confused with Ghulam "Great Gama" Muhammed who was another renowned Pehlwani wrestler, and dominated the scene in the first half of the 20th century. Ghulam Mohammad Gama Pehlwan (1885-1953), populary referred to as the Great Gama, is the most famous practitioner of the sport of pehlwani and the greatest ever wrestler to come out of India. ... Pehlwani Maruti Mane, winner of the Hind-Kesari title of India and 1970 British Commonwealth Games silver medalist in wrestling Modern Indian wrestling, or Pehlwani (Devanagari: पहलवानी), is a synthesis of an indigenous Hindu form of wrestling that dates back at least to at least the 5th century BC [1] and...

External Links

• The Lion of the Punjab– Gama in England, 1910 by Graham Noble
• The Lion of the Punjab – Part IV: Aftermath by Graham Noble

References

• Gandhi's Body: Sex, Diet, and the Politics of Nationalism by Joseph S. Alter