Anyone wanna hear a story?

So...I assume most of you know about the Partition of India in August 1947? And about the riots preceding them?

(Who was to blame? Ultimately the British, of course)

In May 1947 the riots were in full swing. There was a lot of "ethnic cleansing." All very horrible.

1/

Lahore--now the 2nd largest city in Pakistan--was heavily Muslim, in a heavily Muslim region. And there were riots & ethnic cleansing there, as elsewhere, with the Hindus of Lahore being driven from their homes and sent fleeing if they were lucky. (Again, Brits were to blame)

2/

But there was one mahallah (neighborhood/quarter/district) where the Hindus of Lahore didn't end up victims of violence.

This was the mahallah where the wrestlers lived.

For those of you who don't know, Indian wrestlers were/are the greatest in the world.

3/

The average workout regimen of an Indian wrestler is INSANE. Bruce Lee took a couple of their routines and incorporated it into his own famous workout routine.

And Indian wrestlers' record against non-Indian wrestlers is absurdly good. Historically, something like 80% wins.

4/

Living in this mahallah, in the wrestlers' compound, was a particular wrestler, generally regarded as the best of them all, the best of India, the best in the world. And *he* had promised the Hindus of the mahallah that no harm would come to them. And they believed him.

5/

So when a Muslim mob came for the Hindus of the mahallah in May, 1947, this wrestler led the other eleven wrestlers of the compound out to meet the mob.

The wrestler stepped in front of the other wrestlers. Didn't say "You'll have to go through me," but didn't need to.

6/

The leader of the mob charged the wrestler, the rest of the mob not far behind him, and swung an axe at the wrestler.

The wrestler slapped the axe-wielder off his feet with one blow, like a movie stunt. Reportedly just a one-arm slap that sent the guy horizontal in the air.

7/

The rest of the mob stopped, turned, and bolted.

THE WRESTLER HIT THE AXE-WIELDER SO HARD THAT THE ENTIRE MOB FELT IT, TOOK 3D10 BLUDGEONING DAMAGE, AND ACQUIRED THE FRIGHTENED CONDITION.

8/

The epilogue is that the wrestler knew that he and the other wrestlers couldn't fight every mob, so the wrestler paid for train tickets for all the Hindus of the mahallah. Which, considering the situation in Lahore in May 1947, was as much of a happy ending as was possible.

9/

This is our hero: the Great Gama. Yes, "great" is capitalized in this case because that's what everyone called him. Just "the Great Gama." Like "Hulk Hogan," only not a racist.

Gama's world tours in the 1910s & 1920s were embarrassments--for his American, British, and Japanese opponents. He didn't just beat them, he *toyed* with them--even the biggest names in the wrestling world. (This was a time when wrestling was a major sport).

11/

It got to the point where touring was pointless, because *nobody wanted to fight him.* He'd come to town, and all the wrestlers would suddenly be too sick to wrestle.

We need a series of comics or novels about him, and a movie.

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