All About the Hamida Banu

Today’s Google Doodle honors Hamida Banu, the first female wrestler from India, who defeated a well-known wrestler in under one minute and thirty-four seconds.

On Saturday, May 4, Google unveiled a doodle in honor of Indian wrestler Hamida Banu, who is regarded as the country’s first professional female wrestler. “Hamida Banu was a trailblazer of her time, and her fearlessness is remembered throughout India and across the world,” reads the text that goes with the Google Doodle. She will always be honored for remaining true to herself, regardless of her athletic achievements.”

Who is Hamida Banu?

Hamida Banu Begum, whose Persian name was 1527, died on August 29, 1604, was the mother of the third Mughal emperor Akbar and the empress consort of the second Mughal emperor Humayun. Her son Akbar gave her the moniker Mariam Makani, which means “Dwelling with Mariam.” During Akbar’s reign, she also went by the name Padshah Begum.

Family of Hamida Banu

In 1527, Hamida Banu Begum was born into a Persian-American family. The first Mughal emperor Babur’s youngest son, Hindal Mirza, was taught by her father, Shaikh Ali Akbar Jami, a Shia. Mian Baba Dost, a member of Ahmad Jami Zinda-fil’s lineage, was another name for Ali Akbar Jami. Maah Afroz Begum, the mother of Hamida Banu, wed Ali Akbar Jami in Paat, Sindh. Hamida’s ancestry indicated that she was a devoted Muslim.