Jatindra Charan Guha (13 March 1892 – 2 January 1972), popularly known by his
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Gobar Guha , was an Indian
wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...
and practitioner of
Pehlwani
Pehlwani, (पहलवानी) also known as Kushti, is a form of wrestling contested in South Asia. It was developed in the Mughal Empire by combining Persian Koshti pahlevani with influences from native Indian Malla-yuddha. The words ''pe ...
. He was the first
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
to win the World Light Heavyweight Championship in the United States in 1921.
Early life
![Jatindra Charan Guho](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Jatindra_Charan_Guho.jpg)
Gobar came from a family of
wrestlers
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
. The Goho family had been known for pioneering, promoting and popularising the art of Pehlwani and physical culture in
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
, for generations. His great-grandfather had set up an ''
akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists o ...
'' at Masjidbari Street. His forebears included the legendary Ambu babu, and Khetu babu, who tutored
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
in the finer points of wrestling.
His father Ram Charan too was well-versed in the art.
Gobar was born to Ram Charan in 1892 in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
. He began his initial training under the guidance of his grandfather
Ambika Charan Guha. He also took lessons from his uncle Khetra Charan Goho and father Ram Charan Goho. He began rigorous training under famous Indian wrestlers like Kholsa Chaubey and Rahmani Pehlwan, who were employed by the Goho family.
When Gobar reached adulthood he stood at six feet and one inch and weighed around 290 pounds. His expanded chest measured 48 inches. In the meanwhile he also passed the Entrance examination from Vidyasagar school in 1910. He also received training in
Hindustani classical
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
music from Kukuv Khan and used to attend the musical soirees of Narendranath Basu.
[Sengupta, S. (ed.) (1988). ''Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (in Bengali), Calcutta: Sahitya Samsad, pp.141–2]
Career
Gobar embarked on a professional career in
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
in 1910 at the age of eighteen. He debuted against Navrang Singh, the court
wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...
of the
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
of
Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...
, but he didn't take any money.
In 1910, the John Bull Society of London organised a world wrestling championship bout to which
wrestlers
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
from all over the world including Gobar Goho and junior Gama of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
were invited. In his first tour of Europe, Gobar fought bouts in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Switzerland and England.
Gobar went on a second tour of Europe in 1912 and returned home in 1915. During the trip he met
Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight boxing champion at the
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
tournament in Paris.
Next he defeated Campbell, the highest-ranked wrestler of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
His next bout was against Scottish strongman and wrestler Jimmy Esson of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, who has been described by the great strongman and wrestler
Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt ( – 19 February 1968) was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman, professional wrestler, author, and sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first world heavyweight champion.
Hacken ...
as 'the Scotch Giant'. Esson was at the receiving end throughout the fight and in the end resorted to illegal boxing punches. Gobar remained undeterred and duly wrestled the 'giant' on to the ground.
After the
War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, Gobar went on a third tour of Europe and the United States from 1920 to 1926. During this tour, he fought the bout of his lifetime, when he disposed of the then World Light Heavyweight Champion and
catch wrestler Ad Santel
Adolph Ernst (April 7, 1887 – November 10, 1966), better known for his ring name Ad Santel, was a German-American professional wrestler, considered one of the greatest practitioners of catch wrestling ever. He is also considered to be one of th ...
on 24 August 1921 at the Coliseum in San Francisco. He became the first
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
to win a World Professional Wrestling Championship in the United States.
In his next bout he was pitted against the famous
Ed 'Strangler' Lewis, considered by many to be the greatest ever professional wrestler. Lewis first tried his famous
headlock
A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...
on Gobar but to little effect. After a few rounds, Lewis managed to floor Gobar once, but the latter soon returned the compliment. Both fighters had registered two falls each, when Lewis resorted to foul play by hitting Gobar with a boxer's punch. When the referee overlooked this offence, Gobar turned to the judges to remonstrate, but at this moment, Lewis floored Gobar with a resounding thump, causing him to hit his head on the boards and lose consciousness.
In 1929, Gobar fought another memorable fight against the younger Gama at
Park Circus
Park Circus is a neighbourhood of Central-South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India.
Geography Police district
Karaya police station is in the South-east division of Kolkata Police.
Karaya Women police station, at the same a ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
in a bout that has since passed into the folklore of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n wrestling.
After a stirring fight which showcased all the moves of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n wrestling, the older Gobar finally lost on a technicality. The ''akhara'' that was established by his ancestors at Masjidbari Street was reincarnated by Gobar Goho at Goabagan in 1936. Gobar Goho retired from professional
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
in 1944.
Legacy
Gobar Goho developed his own style of wrestling which took Indian wrestling into newer heights. His style included his own
wrestling holds
A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...
like , , , , , ''pat'', and which later became a part and parcel of Indian wrestling.
He was famous for his vicious chops known as . His achievements and success inspired
Bengali Hindus
Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...
to take up wrestling as a career which was seen as the traditional bastion of muslims.
Not only wrestlers but the famous body builders like
Manohar Aich and
Monotosh Roy were inspired by his successes. His own disciples included his son Manik and his students Banamali Ghosh, Jyotish Charan Ghosh and Biswanath Dutta.
His followers observed his birth centenary in 1992.
Goabagan Street in North Kolkata has been named ''Gobar Goho Sarani'' in his honour. His statue was installed and unveiled at the ''Azad Hind Bagh'' in 1996 by the then Governor of West Bengal, Late Raghunath Reddy. On the current day his ''akhara'' ''Gobar Goho's Gymnasium'' runs firmly at 19/D/H/7, Gobar Goho Sarani, Kolkata-700006. The nearest prominent landmark is the
Scottish Church College
Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in A ...
.
Notes
External links
Abridged wrestling events History.A copy of the original "The Japanese Pro-Wrestling / Reality Based Martial Art Connection" article by Sam Chan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guho, Jatindra Charan
Sport wrestlers from Kolkata
Indian male martial artists
1972 deaths
1892 births
Indian male professional wrestlers
Bengali people