Google Doodle celebrates the trailblazing Hamida Banu. Who was she?

Google Doodle on Hamida Banu: Google celebrates India's first woman wrestler

Google has changed its easily-recognisable homepage logo today to celebrate the extraordinary life of Hamid Banu. Hamida Banu, widely considered to be India’s first woman wrestler, was born in the early 1900s near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Today’s Google Doodle shows an illustration of Banu surrounded by local flora and fauna.

Why was May 4 chosen as the date to honour Hamida Banu?

In her career spanning the 1940s and 1950s, Hamida Banu won more than 300 competitions. She often challenged male wrestlers – or pahalwans – to bouts, promising to marry them if they won. Banu emerged as a force at a time when wrestling was still considered a male bastion.

May 4 was chosen as the date to publish a Google Doodle on Hamida Banu because it was on this day in 1954 that she challenged and defeated famed wrestler Baba Pahalwan. He retired from professional wrestling after that.

According to Google: “On this day in 1954, the wrestling match that earned Banu international recognition and acclaim was reported - she had defeated famed wrestler Baba Pahalwan, in just 1 minute and 34 seconds, after which the latter retired from professional wrestling.”

The coverage

After Hamida Banu won against Baba Pahalwan in 1954, she received widespread coverage in international media. The Associated Press at the time reported: “The bout lasted one minute and 34 seconds, when the woman won a fall.”

Banu became known as the “Amazon of Aligarh.”

Who created the Google Doodle on Hamida Banu?

The Google Doodle on India’s first woman wrestler was created by Bengaluru-based artist Divya Negi. Negi says she was inspired by Hamida Banu’s fight against conservative norms of the day.

“delved into Hamida's world during my doodle research. It was inspiring to learn that she fought fiercely against the conservative norms of her time. Going against groupthink is one of the hardest things one can do, and being a woman adds another level of complexity to it. Despite that, Hamida powered through and won,” she said.