Indian wrestler Khalifa Ghulam Mohiuddin poses for a photograph taken likely during or after his 1911 tour of Europe.
Famous for his two-hour fight with the unbeatable Gama Pehelwan in 1919 that resulted in a draw, the versatile wrestler was given the title Aftab-e-Hind, or the Sun of India.
Standing at a mere five foot six inches against competitors up to seven feet tall, he compensated for his small size with clever tactics and superior strategy. During his Europe visit, he did not take more than a few days to adapt to the Greco-Roman style of wrestling, which does not allow the leg-holds considered so important in Desi wrestling, and was able to throw the then world champion Maurice Gambier twice in a matter of minutes.
Son of Ustad Nuruddin, a famous wrestler himself, Ghulam Mohiuddin spent his childhood wrestling in the court of the Maharaja of Junagarh, and later move to Kolhapur, where he was given a Jagir.
Famous for his two-hour fight with the unbeatable Gama Pehelwan in 1919 that resulted in a draw, the versatile wrestler was given the title Aftab-e-Hind, or the Sun of India.
Standing at a mere five foot six inches against competitors up to seven feet tall, he compensated for his small size with clever tactics and superior strategy. During his Europe visit, he did not take more than a few days to adapt to the Greco-Roman style of wrestling, which does not allow the leg-holds considered so important in Desi wrestling, and was able to throw the then world champion Maurice Gambier twice in a matter of minutes.
Son of Ustad Nuruddin, a famous wrestler himself, Ghulam Mohiuddin spent his childhood wrestling in the court of the Maharaja of Junagarh, and later move to Kolhapur, where he was given a Jagir.