Sonika Kaliraman
Season Journey CompleteSonika Kaliraman
Bio
Sonika Kaliraman is an Indian professional wrestler and sports administrator born on 11 June 1983 in Delhi. She is the daughter of the legendary Indian wrestler Chandgi Ram (also known as Master Chandgi Ram, 1937–2010) — a six-time National Wrestling Champion and recipient of the Dronacharya Award and Padma Shri, who is widely regarded as the father of modern wrestling in India. Her brother Jagdish Kaliraman is also a wrestler. Raised in a family entirely devoted to wrestling, Sonika began training under her father who fought social stigma for years to enable his daughters to compete professionally. She won the Gold Medal at the Asian Women Wrestling Championship in 2000 and, in 2001, won the Bharat Kesari Dangal — becoming the first Indian woman to win the Bharat Kesari title, a feat previously exclusive to male wrestlers. She is also one of approximately 50 Indian women to have represented India in international wrestling. In 2009, she participated in the Lal Bahadur Shastri wrestling tournament. She courageously spoke out publicly about being sexually harassed by a coaching official during a 1998–99 international tour to Poland, filing a report that the Wrestling Federation of India's then-president disputed. She married US-based businessman Siddharth Malik. In October 2011, she entered Bigg Boss 5 on Colors TV as one of the original contestants. She walked out of the house voluntarily on Day 7 (Week 2) due to a medical emergency involving her mother, finishing seventeenth. Despite her brief stay, she was warmly received by the house and audience for her dignity and athleticism.
Winning the Bharat Kesari Dangal (2001), becoming the first Indian woman to win the prestigious wrestling title; winning the Gold Medal at the Asian Women Wrestling Championship (2000); being the daughter of legendary Indian wrestler Chandgi Ram (also known as Master Chandgi Ram), a National Award winner and six-time National Champion; her courage in publicly speaking about being sexually harassed by a coaching staff member during an international tour in 1998–99; walking out of Bigg Boss 5 (Colors TV, 2011) in Week 2 due to her mother's medical emergency.