An Indian sense of being
Blending tradition and modernity, Dara Singh represented the nation's collective consciousness
Dara Singh was more than a film star. He was a piece of folklore and he became a sociological phenomenon. He cannot be seen merely as a fact of autobiography, a curriculum vitae of achievements, a composite of 148 films and some legendary TV performances. He has to be seen as a hybrid of myth and folklore, of archetype and stereotype. He was an individual who stoked a collective consciousness, as a larger than life evocation of the desi hero.
Stars, fans say goodbye to Dara Singh
Fans arrived in large numbers to bid goodbye to wrestler-actor Dara Singh, who passed away early this morning. He was cremated at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Juhu, a western suburb in Mumbai.
A truck decorated with flowers carried the body from his home, Dara Villa in Juhu, to the crematorium. Fans shouted slogans like 'Dara Singh Amar Rahe' and 'Bolo Pawan Putra Hanuman Ki Jai' when his body was brought to the crematorium, paying tribute to Dara Singh's most popular character Hanuman in the television serial Ramayana and, later, the Mahabharat.
Dara Singh: A Life In Pictures
Dara Singh, who passed away early this morning, lived a full and eventful life, as he aced in wrestling, films and television. Here's looking at snapshots taken from various stages in the late veteran's life. A brawny youngster, Dara Singh towered at 6 feet 2 inches and was encouraged to take up wrestling professionally early on.
Shahrukh, Amitabh, Abhishek pay tribute to Dara Singh
Dara Singh lost his battle against death on Thursday morning. The veteran actor-wrestler breathed his last at 7.30 am at his Mumbai residence, in the presence of his family and close friends. Dara Singh was 84. His son actor Vindu Dara Singh announced the news of his death. Bollywood actors and directors mourned the demise of the Rustam-e-Hind, Dara Singh, and paid tribute to him on Twitter.
SHAH RUKH KHAN @iamsrk
Wrestlers r made of sweat,determination & a hard to find alloy called guts...most apt for Dara Singhji our very own Superman.Will miss u sir
Amitabh Bachchan @SrBachchan
Dara Singh ji passed away this morning. A great Indian and one of the finest humans..An entire era of his celebrated presence gone !
Dara Singh: Champion wrestler turned Bollywood star
Dara Singh, who has died aged 83, was a champion wrestler turned Bollywood star who became famous for his depiction of the monkey god Hanuman in the hugely popular Indian television series Ramayan, an adaptation of the Hindu epic the Ramayana.
The Ramayana, one of the two great epics of India (the other being the Mahabharata), tells the story of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya (an incarnation of the God Vishnu) and his quest to rescue his beautiful wife Sita (an incarnation of the goddess Laxmi) after she is abducted by the evil 10-headed Ravana from Lanka (modern-day Sri Lanka). Rama gathers an army of monkeys to search for her and together they track down Ravana, kill him and rescue Sita. The couple's triumphant return to Ayodhya marks the beginning of a Golden Age for mankind. Hanuman is the resourceful monkey general who helps Rama defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. With the elephant deity Ganesh, he is one of Hinduism's best-loved gods.
Read More: DNA |
Agency: The Daily Telegraph
Remembering Dara Singh : Hindi Cinema's 1st He Man
Hindi cinema's 1st he man , Hindi cinema's 1st action hero , Hindi cinema's 1st super hero and Hindi cinema's 1st actor to appear on-screen without shirt , [ it happened much before Dharmendra and Salman Khan ] wrestler turned actor Dara Singh a.k.a. Deedar Singh Randhawa died on July 12 , 2012 in Mumbai . He was 83 years old at the time of his death .
Much before he entered Hindi film world as an actor , he was a world-famous wrestler . From a small village Dharmuchak near Amritsar , Punjab to the world arena of free – style wrestling , he bestrode it like a colossus . He went to Singapore and became Champion Of Malaysia in 1947 . After that he never looked back and never got defeated till the very end of his career . In 1983 in his last tournament in Delhi , he himself announced his retirement . An invincible inning thus ended . Winning titles like ; RUSTAM – E – PUNJAB [ 1966 ] , RUSTAM – E – HIND [ 1978 ] and RUSTAM – E – ZAMAN during his long , illustrious and always victorious career , enhanced his prestige and his popularity soared to new heights in India and he became an idiom for the whole generation of Indians .
