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India.com
3 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
Meet Hamida Banu, India's first female wrestler whose name evoked fear among top male wrestlers, her opponents would..., The Great Gama...
New Delhi: Hamida Banu is considered India's first female wrestler. She was a wrestler who, upon entering the arena, would make even the most renowned wrestlers raise their hands in surrender. Not only female wrestlers, but even male wrestlers would sweat in her presence. Just hearing her name would lead many prominent wrestlers to withdraw from matches. Amazon of Aligarh When Hamida Banu reached Baroda, Gujarat, to compete after defeating two male wrestlers, the wrestler who was supposed to fight her had already withdrawn his name and fled the arena. She was the first woman wrestler in India who could make even international-level wrestlers, like Baba Pehlwan, unable to last more than 2 minutes against her. After that, she retired from wrestling and announced that she would no longer participate in any wrestling matches. Hamida Banu was often compared to a highly famous American wrestler known as Amazon. That's why she was called 'Amazon of Aligarh.' Hamida Banu established her prowess not only in India but also abroad. She achieved victories in over 300 matches throughout her life, including those against both female and male wrestlers. In 2024, a Google Doodle was created in memory of Hamida Banu. Hamida Banu, a rebel Hamida Banu was born into a Muslim family with a long tradition of wrestling. According to reports, her father Nader was a famous wrestler. From a young age, Hamida had an interest in wrestling. Her father was the first to teach her martial arts at the age of 10. However, when Hamida, born in the 1900s, expressed her desire to enter wrestling, she faced a lot of criticism. At that time, wrestling was considered a men's sport. Therefore, it was not acceptable to her family for a girl from a Muslim family to step onto the mat. But Hamida Banu rebelled and began wrestling against her family's wishes for her career. She then moved to Aligarh and started training with a local wrestler, Salam Pehlwan. Initially, she participated in small competitions, but her aspiration had always been to achieve something great. Wrestlers used to leave the arena in fear. Her daring challenge for marriage Reports have indicated that initially, when Hamida entered the arena, male wrestlers would make fun of her. Many times, the male wrestlers would refuse to fight her, claiming that she was not worthy of competing against them. However, as time passed, Hamida proved herself. Then came a time when male wrestlers would leave the arena out of fear of Hamida Banu. She gained fame in just a few years and her reputation spread from Aligarh to Punjab. She started participating in wrestling matches not only in India but also abroad. Hamida Banu gained most attention when in 1954 she announced, 'Whoever defeats me in wrestling, I will marry him'. This announcement caused quite a commotion. Fight with The Great Gama People were very excited about the match between Hamida Banu and Gama Pehlwan. For the first time, there was going to be a match at such a large level between a male and a female wrestler. Posters were printed for this match like a film, and it was promoted like a film as well. However, at that time, people were struggling to accept that a woman could defeat a male wrestler. The wrestling ring was prepared for the match between Gama Pehlwan and Hamida Banu. A large crowd gathered to watch the match. The stadium was packed. The match was about to begin, but just shortly before that, Gama Pehlwan withdrew his name from the competition. The next day, it was reported in the news that Gama Pehlwan withdrew his name out of fear from Hamida Banu. After this, Baba Pehlwan fought her but he lost to her in just 1 minute and 34 seconds and announced his retirement from wrestling. Hamida Banu's unbelievable daily diet Hamida had become so famous that her lifestyle also began to make headlines. According to reports, Hamida wrestled just like male wrestlers. She weighed 105 kilograms and had a very strong diet. She would drink more than 5 kilos of milk and over 2 kilograms of soup, along with more than 2 liters of fruit juice every day. Additionally, in terms of food, she consumed one chicken, one kilogram of mutton, half a kilogram of butter, 6 eggs, one kilogram of almonds, 2 large rotis, and 2 plates of biryani. This was her daily diet. She stood over 5 feet tall. Vera Chistilin was a Russian female wrestler, known as 'Russia's female bear' who was defeated by Hamida Banu in less than a minute. She impressed Vera Chistilin so much that she wanted to take her to Europe. After that, Hamida Banu decided to go to Europe.
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Google celebrates April's final half-moon with an interactive doodle game
Google Doodles, the search giant's temporary creative designs, celebrate special occasions. On April 24, the popular search engine featured a doodle dedicated to April 's last half-moon. The doodle named 'Rise of the Half Moon April' is a thoughtfully created interactive game. Interestingly, it is not only interactive but also educational, as it prompts the users to play against the moon to test their knowledge of the lunar cycle. The users have to compete with the moon by matching lunar phases. They will also earn points for each right pairing. Last month it came up with March's full moon doodle, titled 'Rise of the Half Moon in March'. The Purple Moon The April's Half-moon Google Doodle is a purple-shaded moon with a card game that will let you know more about the lunar cycle. This game has three levels and completing the final level equals victory and rewards. When you click on the doodle, you'll see an overview of the game before it commences. Half Moon As the moon changes its shape in the sky every night, it leads to different moon phases. A half-moon happens when you can see only half of the moon's face lit up by the sun's light. Google Doodle When you open the homepage of Google, instead of a plain logo, you see a creative, colourful and animated doodle which is used to celebrate special occasions, birth anniversaries or death anniversaries of important people, festivals and even nature. This special feature of Google is not only creative but also informative. Basically, Google replaces its logo with a doodle for a day to celebrate the occasion or to pay tribute to that person of importance. The first Doodle was published in 1988, and it was named 'Burning Man Festival'. This is the fourth Google Doodle dedicated to the Moon this year. In January it showcased 'Rise of the Half Moon January', followed by 'Rise of the Half Moon February' and 'Rise of the Half Moon March'.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Google's half-moon Doodle turns Lunar phases into a game
Google's half-moon Doodle turns Lunar phases into a game Today's Google Doodle is no ordinary tribute, it's an interactive card game challenging users to outsmart none other than the moon itself. In honor of April's last half moon, Google has rolled out 'Rise of the Half Moon,' the latest installment in its whimsical Doodle game series blending education with entertainment. Users are invited to play a celestial card showdown by matching lunar phases to gain points and unlock wildcards. Accuracy is key: the more correct your plays, the more you edge toward lunar domination. The game taps into themes of astronomy, folklore, and logic, turning lunar learning into a competitive quest. Whether you're a space geek or a casual player, the Doodle offers an engaging way to revisit moon phase knowledge while chasing high scores.
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Google Doodle Marks World Quantum Day 2025 — What That's All About
A model of a quantum computer's chip, on display at the opening of an IBM quantum data center in ... More 2024. Wondering what's going on in Monday's Google Doodle? The artwork illustrates a principle that's fundamental to quantum computing in celebration of World Quantum Day. The event, in its third year, takes place annually on April 14 to promote awareness and understanding of the fast-advancing fields of quantum science and technology. The Doodle shows each letter of the word 'Google' as a thaumatrope, an optical toy that displays different pictures on either side of a spinning disk. 'When spun rapidly, our brains superimpose both images so they appear to combine and form one image,' Google explains of the animated Doodle. 'The thaumatrope helps illustrate the concept of quantum superposition: when a particle exists in multiple states at once.' The April Doodle for April 14 pays tribute to all things quantum. Quantum mechanics involves the study of particle behavior at the atomic and subatomic level. The Doodle launches as quantum computers, which can execute extraordinarily speedy calculations, promise to do everything from transform financial and manufacturing industries to reduce damage from climate change and push the boundaries of art. Quantum scientists from around the world initiated World Quantum Day to spur engagement with quantum concepts. Quantum scientists from around the world launched World Quantum Day to spark public engagement with quantum concepts. It's celebrated on April 14, a nod to 4.14, the rounded first digits of Planck's constant, a key value in quantum mechanics. Last year, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution introduced to commemorate and support World Quantum Day's goals. 'The World Quantum Day initiative is an important reminder of the progress already made in this technology field and the need to ensure our children have the skills they need to continue that progress in the future,' Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican who introduced the resolution with two fellow senators, said at the time. World Quantum Day 2025 is part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology designated by UNESCO. The IYQ site lists numerous April 14 events hosted by governments, academic institutions and laboratories around the globe: in Armenia, Brazil, India, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the U.S., among other places. Most aim to make quantum concepts more widely accessible. That's the goal of Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost, whose immersive installation 'We Felt a Star Dying' — showing in Berlin through May 7 — explores how we might perceive reality from a quantum perspective. Prouvost engage audiences in quantum fundamentals not through complex explanations of concepts like qubits, but through video and sound developed with a quantum computer, as well scent and sculptural elements reflecting quantum phenomena. In the quantum realm, 'everything is untangled and belongs to one another,' the multimedia artist told me when we spoke earlier this year. 'Quantum-ness can break any sense of barrier that we didn't know was possible to break. There's this sense of everything at once.'
The National
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Nowruz 2025: What is the Persian New Year and how is it celebrated?
Festivities are under way for Nowruz, popularly known as the Persian New Year. Believed to have been celebrated for more than 3,000 years, the festival is held on the spring equinox to usher in the blooming season. Around 300 million people celebrate the occasion, though the start dates can vary between countries. It can be traced back to the ancient religion Zoroastrianism but has evolved to become a secular celebration, observed by people with Silk Road roots, including those from Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Kurds across the Middle East. Nowruz is a combination of the Farsi words 'now', meaning 'new', and 'ruz', meaning 'day'. The start of Nowruz varies in different countries because of time zones. It is marked during the vernal equinox, or the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This year, the festival starts on Thursday, March 20, in Iran. Similar to last year, Iranian artist Pendar Yousefi has created a Google Doodle for the occasion. The artwork incorporates elements central to Nowruz traditions, such as the haft-sin table, a display of seven symbolic items each beginning with the Persian letter 'sin'. These are sprouts for rebirth, wheat pudding for strength, olives for love, berries for the sunrise, vinegar for patience, apples for beauty and garlic for health. There are also depictions of activities during Nowruz, such as spring cleaning to prepare for a fresh start, decorating eggs, and even leaping over a bonfire, which is believed to cleanse energy from the previous year and invite vitality in the future. The Google Doodle appeared on the search engine on Thursday in several countries, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, the UK and Canada. Celebrating Nowruz was added to the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Updated annually, the list by the UN agency safeguards traditions and ways of living in the face of increasing globalisation. In 2010, the UN declared March 21 as International Nowruz Day. Festivities typically run for two weeks. While there are many unique traditions connected to the celebration around the world, almost all communities will mark the day with a feast and by spending time with family and friends. People also give their homes a spring clean, buy auspicious items such as fish and flowers, and decorate their doors and windows with flowers. Many set their tables based on haft-sin. While buying sweets and nuts is common, most people also have certain go-to dishes during Nowruz, including sabzi polo mahi, or herbed rice with fish. It is traditionally served as the first meal of the new year in Iran. In Kurdish households, dolma or rice-stuffed vegetables, are a staple. Popular sweets include raisin and walnut cookies, and nan-e nokhodchi or Persian chickpea cookies. To celebrate, people light bonfires, set off fireworks and send wish lanterns floating into the night sky. Others jump over and around fires, chanting: 'My yellow is yours, your red is mine,' invoking the replacement of ills with warmth and energy. In more regional celebrations, people in Kyrgyzstan display traditional horsemanship to mark the arrival of the new year. Greetings during the festival include 'Happy Nowruz' and 'Nowruz Mubarak'. While Nowruz is a secular festival for many of the communities that celebrate it, it remains a holy day for Zoroastrians and people of the Baha'i Faith. This year, however, it falls during Ramadan when Muslims fast during the day. In Iran, tourism minister Reza Salehi Amiri said that Nowruzgahs – cultural events held to mark Nowruz – will be held after the evening iftar meals until midnight. 'We have formed a dedicated committee to ensure that Nowruzgah activities align with the sanctity of Ramadan while maintaining the celebratory essence of Nowruz,' he told state news agency Irna.
