Dara Singh in Nairobi. 1962.

Pictures by Ajit Singh Chaggar

Amarjit Chandan collection

 Dara Singh Randhawa, who has died aged 84, was a wrestler turned film actor. He started as a professional wrestler before he went into Hindi films in 1962. He was nominated member of Rajya Sabha upper house of Indian parliament by right wing Hindu Bhartiya Janata Party during 2003–2009.

He had a happy childhood living in a village community in Dharmuchak near Amritsar. He had amrit Sikh baptism when he was a young boy and at the age of 16 he got married. He went to Singapore in 1947 to join his father. He started working in a drum-making factory in an island near Singapore. He under the watchful eye of a mochi Harnam Das of Jalandhar practised wrestling and eventually became the Champion of Malaya (Indian style wrestling) by defeating Tarlok Singh in Kuala Lumpur on the Vaisakhi day in 1951. He returned to India the following year and became the Indian Champion in 1954 later to win two coveted titles Rustam-e-Punjab in 1966 and Rustam-e-Hind in 1978.

For his dialogue delivery in rustic Majhee Punjabi accent, Dara Singh contributed to the healthy Sikh humour. He became butt of jokes. The classic being: his Hindi language coach after giving him lessons lost his own language and started speaking Punjabi fluently like him

He successfully competed against some of the greatest names in wrestling. He toured all Commonwealth countries and defeated Oriental Champion King Kong, George Gordienko (Canada), John Desilva (New Zealand) and numerous more. He became the Commonwealth Champion in 1959. He also defeated Lou Thesz (USA) and became Champion of the World in May 1968. He again visited countries worldwide and defended title of the World Champion. He retired from the wrestling arena in 1983, undefeated. Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated his last tournament in June 1983 in Delhi, where he announced his retirement and Giani Zail Singh presented the winning trophy. In 1996 he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Dara Singh had over 500 professional fights to his credit all undefeated. His top fights included Champion of Pakistan Majid Akra, Shane Ali and Tariq Ali (West Punjab), Prince Kumali (Champion of Africa), Japanese Great Rikidozan, European Champion Bill Robinson, Champion of England Pat Roach, David Taylor, Danny Lynch, Man Mountain Jack, Caswell Jack, George Burgers, Sky Hi, Lee and innumerable more. He was the only professional who has defeated all his rival champions in their
home crowd.

Ray Apollon of West Indies knocked out by Dara Singh of the Punjab in Nairobi. 1962

He remained as the Action King of Bombiyaa films of the 1960s and 1970s, and believed to have started the trend of taking the shirt off. He made a large number of Hindi films, which had him in the lead. One of his notable finds was the actress Mumtaz with whom he had performed in 16 films. He then went on to television in the 1980s where he played the role of Hanuman in the television adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayan. His latest Punjabi movie was Dil Apn Punjabi (2006) and his last Hindi movie being Jab We Met (2007).

For his dialogue delivery in rustic Majhee Punjabi accent, he contributed much to the healthy Sikh humour. He became butt of jokes. The classic being: his Hindi language coach after giving him lessons lost his own language and started speaking Punjabi fluently like him.

Cover of Meri Atam Katha My Life Story (1990)

His engaging autobiography in Punjabi Meri Atam Katha (Navyug 1990) was liked by discerning readers. It is written with rigorous honesty rarely seen even in the memoirs of well-known Punjabi authors.

In the early eighties Indira Gandhi had introduced the celebrity centred Reagan model in politics. Popular film actors nominated to Rajya Sabha still are apolitical showpieces. During his tenure in Parliament Dara Singh hardly made any speech. Being a Randhawa jat, more recently he as president of All India Jat Mahasabha was active in the campaign for recognition of jat as a backward caste for positive discrimination in the job market. This was once deemed unimaginable in the pre-corporate capitalist times.

His wife Surjit and their three daughters and two sons survive him.

Dara Singh's interview by Ratnakar Bhartiya in Hindustani recorded in London in 1971
http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/ multimedia/2012/07/120712_ dara_singh_interview_va.shtml

Dara Singh wrestler, film actor, director and producer born November 19 1928 Dharmuchak, Amritsar; died Mumbai July 12 2012