Above: the iconic image from the early 1950s. Below: 2 photos taken by Ajit Chaggar in Nairobi, Kenya in 1962; courtesy, Amarjit Singh Chandan Collection.
People
Dara Singh Takes A Final Bow
BBC
DARA SINGH
November 19, 1928 - July 12, 2012
The 83-year-old had been admitted to hospital last week after a heart attack.
He was taken home on Wednesday night (July 11, 2012) after doctors said he had little chance of recovery and that there had been significant damage to his brain.
Dara Singh, who won the world wrestling championship in 1960, acted in several Bollywood films and television serials.
He gained huge popularity while playing Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, in the television adaptation of the epic-myth Ramayana.
He was also a member of parliament from 2003 to 2009 when he was appointed to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's parliament.
His doctor said he passed away "peacefully" at 07:30am [02:00GMT].
His films included King Kong, Faulad, Kal Ho Naa Ho and he was last seen in the 2007 hit, Jab We Met.
Meanwhile, tributes have been pouring in for the much-loved Dara Singh.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his sadness at Dara Singh's death and described him as a "noted film personality and an internationally acclaimed wrestler".
The micro-blogging site Twitter has seen tributes pouring in from Bollywood personalities and fans.
"When childhood heroes die the world looks desolate," veteran director Mahesh Bhatt tweeted.
BIO
Dara Singh was born to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa on 19 November 1928 in the village Dharmuchak of Amritsar district in Punjab.
He was encouraged into wrestling due to his massive physique. He worked at his farm as a kid. He was encouraged to study pehlwani, a Punjabi style of wrestling, in the sand wrestling pits called akhaaras.
Dara Singh became a favourite in wrestling tournaments around the subcontinent. In addition to this, he wrestled on invitation of maharajas and also appeared in haats and melas (fairs and carnivals). He successfully competed against some of the greatest names in wrestling history and professional wrestlers in world, including the United States.
Dara Singh went to Singapore in 1947. He became the Champion of Malaysia by defeating Tarlok Singh in Kuala Lumpur. He toured throughout the far-east countries as a professional wrestler. Dara Singh returned to India in 1952 and became the country’s champion in 1954.
He toured all Commonwealth countries and defeated Oriental Champion King Kong, George Gordienko (Canada), John Desilva (New Zealand) and numerous more. He became the Commonwealth Champion in 1959.
He defeated Lou Thesz (America) and became World Champion on May 29, 1968. He again visited countries world-wide and successfully defended his title.
Dara Singh retired from the wrestling arena in 1983, undefeated.
His top fights include Champion of Pakistan Mazid Akra, Shane Ali and Tariq Ali (Pakistan), Prince Kumali (Champion of Africa), Japanese Great Rikidozan, European Champion Bill Robinson, Champion of England Patroch, David Taylor, Danny Lynch, Man Mountain Jack, Caswell Jack, George Burgers, Sky Hi, Lee and innumerable more. He is the only professional who has defeated all of his rival champions before their respective home crowds.
Dara Singh was in over 500 professional fights, all undefeated. His bouts with Lou Thesz, King Kong and others are still cherished today as the classics of all time.
He became a Bollywood star and switched full-time as a movie actor, making a large number of films which had him in the lead. One of his notable finds was the actress Mumtaz with whom he performed in 16 films.
He then went on to television in the 1980s and 1990s where he played the role of Hanuman in the television adaptation of the epic-myth, Ramayan. He worked in some television serial shows, including Had Kar Di.
He acted in over 100 films. His last film was Jab We Met and his latest Punjabi movie was Dil Apna Punjabi. He acted in National Award winner film Main Maa Punjab Di (Director, Balwant Singh).
Dara Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983. In 1996 he was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Dara Singh also founded the prestigious Dara Film Studio at Mohali, Punjab in 1978. It has been operational since 1980 as a self-contained mini-city with all film-making facilities available within the compound.
[Bio, courtesy of Wikipedia. Edited for sikhchic.com]
July 12, 2012
Conversation about this article
1: Ravinder Singh (Westerville, Ohio, U.S.A.), July 12, 2012, 10:53 AM.
To be able to apply (or, rather, be allowed to apply) the "dhobi paat" (a traditonal Indian wrestling over-the-shoulder throw) on Dara Singh and bring him "down" on the wrestling mat will always stand out as one of the highpoints of my life. I wrestled in school and Dara Singh, being a good friend of our wrestling coach, came to watch us practice one time. And we boys jostled around with him for fun - and he let us toss him around. His autobiography (in Punjabi) is a must read - funny and insightful. One thing that most people don't know about him is that he a was very good "paatthi" and was in great demand to participate in akhand paatths.
2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 12, 2012, 6:31 PM.
"baadshah saah vaapaaree marna jo deesai so kaala kharna" {GGS:740.3] - "Kings, emperors and merchants must die, whoever is seen shall be consumed by death". Didn't know the full story of this herculean man. I used to hear that he was an overly kind man and ever ready to help the needy. Didn't know that he remained undefeated but for the death - the final victor. Such is the destiny of man. 'Dust unto dust!'
3: Harinder Singh (Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA), July 13, 2012, 10:20 AM.
Wrestler turned film-maker Dara Singh also made 'Raj Karega Khalsa'. India objected to it but the film was shown AS IS abroad ... and was a hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amC_zsdQQuo
4: Harjap Singh Aujla (Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, USA), July 16, 2012, 6:55 PM.
In the real sense of the word, Dara Singh was a great man: great in character and great in deeds. Like a true Sikh of the Guru he was always ready to help the needy and the weak.
5: Gurratan Singh (India), June 07, 2016, 9:31 AM.
Dara Singh was a great wrestler, the biggest action hero of Bollywood films, a most honest man in the Indian parliament (Upper House) and a gentleman to the core. He will be loved by millions of fans, always.