The First Indian to win the World Heavyweight Championship of Wrestling
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This is about Gobar Guha (Jatindra Charan Guha (13 March 1892–2 January 1972), one of the greatest wrestlers of India.
Born to a family of wrestlers in erstwhile Calcutta, Gobar Guha took to wrestling at a young age. He was tutored by the legendary Ambu Babu, a pioneer of wrestling in Bengal. Swami Vivekananda was a regular at their Akhara. What did it mean?
It meant that legacy and destiny were in favor of the young man. By the age of 15, he had turned into a capable wrestler. As an adult, he weighed over 111 kgs and by the age of eighteen was over Six feet two inches tall.
He carried a stone ring collar around his neck for neck and lower body strength.
Gobar, along with the great Gama, and a few others set sail for Europe to showcase Indian Pehelwani and Kushti style dominance. On his first trip, he fought bouts in Italy, Switzerland, and England, but had to return early due to the ill health of his mother.
His second tour in 1912 established him as one of the feared wrestlers from India. Given the moniker, the Gentle Giant, he defeated famous wrestlers and strongmen like Jimmy Campbell, champion of Scotland, and Jimmy Esson, the Scott giant.
In spite of earning a hard-earned victory, he was not given the John Bull Belt as he was a British subject. In the same year, he went on to championships in Paris where he defeated renowned wrestlers like Lucian Hansen from Belgium and Karl Jaffet from Germany.
It was on his third trip to America that he defeated Ad Santel in 1921 and became the first Asian to win the light heavyweight championship of the world. The bout went on for an hour and three minutes.
In his next bout against famous wrestler Ed Strangler Louis, he lost the first bout due to a dubious decision but got his revenge in the rematch winning under an hour.
For six years he stayed in America and was recognized by leading sports columns and papers as the Hindu Menace. Well versed in music and literature, he gave talks on famous poet Rabindra Nath Tagore’s life and philosophy.
After returning back, he competed for some time and then retired himself to his Akhara in Masjid Street and looked after the newer generation of wrestlers. A staunch nationalist, Gobar Guha breathed his last on January 2, 1972.
Gobar Guha was among the first wave of wrestlers that traveled the world and showcased the superior wrestling skills of India.
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