Here the story is about a man from the late 1800s.
His name is Kodi Rammurthy Naidu (1882-1942) from the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
What makes us recall a man from a century back who is not into any professional sport and hasn’t participated in any of the Olympics??
-The answer is his journey. The journey, that makes us learn how one can excel in their field of interest if they are really into it.
This story is before Mantosh Roy, a renowned bodybuilder who won the Mr.Universe title in 1951, and Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, a bronze medal achiever in wrestling at the 1952 Olympics.
The late 1800s is the era where India is busy with its realization of British exploitation, instead of participating in professional sports.
Coming to Ramamurthy, his childhood wasn’t joyful. He was not interested in studies, which annoyed his father, Venkanna. With this, Ramamurthy left home and went to the forests. He returned home after a week with a tiger cub. With that sight, people were so amazed by the bravery of the little boy.
In his teenage, his interest grew in wrestling, which is widely known as Kusthi in Telugu. He went to Vizianagaram, a nearby town, and started learning kusthi in a local gym. Over time, he improved in the sport and began to participate in competitions. With his winning strokes, he became famous Pehelwan in the region.
As days are passing his enthusiasm towards wrestling led him further polish his skill set. With his uncle’s support, he joined a professional fitness center in Madras (now Chennai). After rigorous training for one year, he returned home as a professional wrestler. He took up the physical training instructor job at the Branch college of Vizianagaram. Although he got a job, he didn’t neglect his passion for wrestling and bodybuilding. He consistently worked on his muscular strength. He Practiced yoga and gained knowledge in Air resistance and water resistance.
In 1911 he went to Madras to showcase his muscular strength and performed some notable feats. With his undisputed performance, he got the title of Indian Sandow.
The fire in Ramamurthy for wrestling and bodybuilding has made him quit his job and take up his passion for life.
He established a circus company at Vizianagaram. His unique feats attracted people across the country.
He performed remarkable feats like
- Stopping two cars at high acceleration with iron chains tied to his shoulders and the other ends to cars.
- Locking himself with half-inch iron chains and breaking them by taking a deep breath and enlarging his muscles
- Holding an elephant on his chest for 5 minutes
- Allowing elephant babies to juggle on his chest with weights attached to them.
Those were the times where Indians get entertainment only through drama and circus. And feats performed by Ramamurthy were outrageous of that time. People were so astounded by those feats.
India’s then Viceroy Lord Minto came to watch his show and wanted himself to test Ramamurthy. So he sat in a car which was tied with iron chains held by Ramamurthy at another end. Viceroy has raised the accelerator, but the car didn’t move an inch.
He also exhibited his skills at Allahabad during the Indian National Congress meeting. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya encouraged him to perform his feats abroad and supported his team to travel to London.
He then started giving performances abroad. The size of the circus is 1600 members!!! He is the first person in the field of sports who kept India’s presence across the globe. He might not participate in an international sporting event or Olympics, but he made International community heads turn for India.
His performance at Buckingham Palace awestruck the then King George and Queen Mary. By impressed with his feats, King George gave him the title Indian Hercules. He was the only Indian to be honored by the royal couple during those days. When he told the historical facts of Bhima of Mahabharat, Greek Hercules, and Prussian Sandow, the King awarded him another more prestigious title of Kaliyuga Bhima.
When he was in Spain, he was invited to see the bullfighting. He was not impressed with that show. To make it more interesting, he entered the bullfighting ring, caught hold of a bull by its horns, and threw it to the ground.
He also gave performances in France, Germany, Japan, Burma, Rome, and China. He received many more prestigious titles like Malla Maha Marthanda, Jagadeka Malludu, Veera kanteerava.
He earned enormous fame and money. He donated large amounts of earnings to support the Indian Freedom Movement. This shows that he not only has a wider chest but also a deeper heart.
One more inspiring fact of Ramamurthy’s life is he is a Pure Vegetarian!!! He is very proof that being a vegetarian, one can be as strong as holding an elephant.
As life always throws unexpected circumstances, his lightning era has started blurring. A boil grew on his leg, which led to surgery and removal of the leg. Even then, he didn’t lose spirit. He even refused to take anesthesia during the surgery. He overcame the pain through his yogic practices.
Ramamurthy Naidu spent his last days under the patronage of Lord Kalwande Pargana in Balanghir, Patna.
Hence the inspiring story of Kodi Ramamurthy Naidu makes us learn how to accept life even it gives either expected or unexpected.
By S L Aiswarya
Nidhi nice article….Quite motivating
wowww we didnt even know him it was very superb miss aishwariya we only know a sports man as sachin tendulkar ms dhoni and etc but you prooved it
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