Monday, July 16, 2012

Dara, The Gentle Giant


I am a student. Probably 8th standard. 1958 or so. Ferozepur, Punjab. Come winter, the school is suddenly abuzz with stories about this new inmate, a giant, in the District Central Jail

He enjoys a special status not found in the rule book. Is free to move around. Has a special dietary allowance consisting of kilos of milk, meat, and ghee as also dozens of eggs. Goes jogging, for exercise, around the jail compound twice daily with one fellow prisoner cradled in each arm.

We hear new stories everyday. The stories emanate from a classmate, whose father is the Superintendent of the jail. This high security prison is where Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were kept by the British. The new inmate there is Dara Singh, Rustame-e-Hind, the title named after Rostam, hero of the Persian epic Shahname

Although Dara is the proclaimed kushti champion of India, we know that actually he is the world champion. And we know this because the Indian wrestling tour includes a number of foreign white wrestlers. The crowd's favourite whipping boy is the improbably huge Hungarian wrestler King Kong. Many are beaten and sent packing but King Kong is a fixture. 

We know that professional wrestling is not quite real, but we do not care. Dara is not just unbeaten, he is unbeatable. 

Dara is held, we are told, in connection with an incident involving murder. As the tales about his prison stay begin to get taller and taller, some scepticism surfaces and pressure to 'trust but verify' mounts. Our friend arranges a visit one Sunday for a bunch of us.

Bursting with excitement, we land up well before the appointed time at the 20 ft high gates of the jail, where our equally excited friend waits. A seemingly seven-footer guard opens a five-footer door embedded in the gates and we are escorted to the Superintendent's office. He deputes another guard to take us further in and cautions us not to stray far from the guard. 

Another door at the end of a dark corridor opens into a largish open sunlit courtyard. And there is Dara Singh. Seated on a stone platform . Clad in a langot. Getting a vigorous ghee massage from a couple of similarly clad well built blokes. Surrounded by a dozen or so thuggish looking characters. 

Dara looks towards us and smiles. Our friend rushes forward and greets him as one would a favourite uncle. He then proudly introduces us as fans. One by one we all move forward to shake hands. With each introduction our friend grows an inch taller, having earned our everlasting gratitude and friendship. At least for a few days.

Dara has a surprisingly soft grip and delicate shake. To each boy he mumbles something unintelligible. We have never seen anyone so handsome, so well built and so gentle. Dara Singh will never be a bigger hero.

Dara Singh RIP 

Snippets 
  • Dara Singh's films basically gave a start to actress Mumtaz's career. His successor as Rustam-e-Hind, younger brother Randhawa married Mumtaz's younger sister Mallika. Randhawa and Mallika were also actors.
  • Before there was Dara, there was The Great Gama. Rustam-e-Hind of undivided India. Rustam-e-Zamaan, the world champion. Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsum is a grand daughter of Gama.
  • The Hungarian wrestler, Emile Czaja, professional name King Kong, also acted in a Hindi movie, playing himself. He was known outside India as the "Indian Wrestler".
  • Dara Singh's first movie as a lead actor, ironically, is the 1962 film titled King Kong.
  • I was about to post this when my younger brother's weekly call came in. Just before disconnecting, he says, "Hey, do you remember...