Gulam

Early life Gulam was born around 1860 into a family of wrestlers. His father was the noted wrestler Ali Baksh, also known as Alia Pahelwan. He belonged to the Kotwala wrestling school. Following the death of his father, Gulam received his training from his maternal uncle, Suleman Pahelwan, who served as a court wrestler for the Jodhpur State.

Their first encounter took place in Amritsar in 1886, where Gulam emerged victorious. Gulam defeated Kikkar Singh in a grueling two-hour bout. One report said Gulam was taken by Motilal Nehru, (father of Jawaharlal Nehru and grandfather of Indira Gandhi) to Paris around 1899–1900 for exhibition matches during the Paris Exposition. It was said that the dominance of this "Indian Wrestlers invasion" prompt some comments by the media at that time

There, Gulam also faced a Turkish heavyweight known as Cour-Derelli (also identified as Qadir Ali), who stood tall and weighed approximately 320 pounds.

According to French wrestling historian Edmond Desbonnet, Gulam displayed "crushing superiority" despite wrestling with a sprained left arm. Gulam threw his opponent with a "flying mare" maneuver, but the throw was not officially recognized due to disputes involving betting interests. Following this, the Turkish wrestler adopted a defensive strategy, lying flat on the mat for an hour and a half to avoid being thrown again. Gulam eventually kicked his opponent in frustration. To protect the financial interests of the bettors, the match was declared a win for Gulam, but all bets were cancelled.

Dr. Krajewski, a mentor to the famous wrestler George Hackenschmidt, examined Gulam in Paris. Impressed by his physique and skill, Krajewski remarked that no wrestler in the world could last five minutes against Gulam in a fair contest. Some accounts, such as that by S. Muzumdar, suggest that Motilal Nehru may have accompanied Gulam to Europe, though Muzumdar's recollection of the match details contradicts contemporary French accounts.

Death and legacy Shortly after his return to India from Paris, Gulam contracted cholera and died in Calcutta, either in 1900 or 1901.

Gulam is remembered as one of the few wrestlers to retire undefeated. Desbonnet classified him as one of the two "super wrestlers" of the modern era, alongside Youssouf Ishmaelo. Stanislaus Zbyszko, a world champion wrestler, described Gulam as "the ruler of his day, of the mat, of human strength," based on accounts from those who had trained with him.