Dara Singh, the late actor, had a successful wrestling career before breaking into the Hindi film industry. He was a skilled wrestler who toured the world and won numerous tournaments and championships. He won the Rustam-e-Hind tournament in 1954 and the World Championship in 1968. In 1959, while travelling through various countries, he was offered US citizenship, which he declined because he preferred to live in his home country. When he finally came that year, he penned a letter to Pandit, India’s then-Prime Minister.
According to Seema Sonik Alimchand’s book Deedara aka Dara Singh, Singh gave three reasons why Pt. Nehru should meet him, whom he has admired since first seeing him in 1956. As per an excerpt from the book, “he sent a letter to the Prime Minister’s office, referencing three reasons to meet him.”One, to shake hands with him so he could tell people he’d met Jawaharlal Nehru; two, to invite him to the ongoing Commonwealth championships; and three, to fulfil the lifelong dream of his friend, wrestling promoter M Gogi, to meet the Prime Minister.”
Dara Singh received a phone call from the PMO a week later, informing him of his meeting with the Prime Minister. When they met, Pt. Nehru’s aide introduced Singh as “Panditji, this is Pehalwan Dara Singh, who has made a name for himself internationally.” Every country he visits, he gets top billing.” Following the introduction, the Prime Minister asked Singh about the countries he has visited and how wrestlers in other countries differ from those in India.
“There, the wrestlers have connections that look upon their needs and diet,” Singh explained to the Prime Minister. Wrestlers, on the other hand, must manage on their own in this country.” In response, the Prime Minister suggested that he form an association to meet the needs of the country’s wrestlers. During the same meeting, Singh requested that the PM attend the Commonwealth Championship, which was taking place in the country at the time, but he was unable to do so.
Dara Singh, who was born on November 19, 1928, in a Jat Sikh family to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa, is also remembered for a variety of roles in cinema and on television, the most memorable of which was Hanuman in the iconic show Ramayan. His most recent film appearance was in Imtiaz Alia’s Jab We Met. On July 12, 2012, he died.