Sonika Kaliraman (Born on 11 June 1983 in Delhi, India) is an Indian women wrestler. Sonika is daughter of legendary wrestler Master Chandgi Ram. Sonika is the first Indian woman wrestler to win the title of Bharat Kesri in Bharat Kesri Dangal. Sonika has also inspired other young girls in India who have begun asking how they could take up the sport. Brother-sister combination of Chandgi Ram's children, Sonika and Jagdish have emerged among the best wrestlers available in the country.
Originally from Haryana, Sonika grew up in New Delhi where her father trained her in his wrestling training camp. At the age of 23, he showed Sonika and her sisters photos of Laila Ali, daughter of Mohammed Ali and Karnam Malleswari, a South Indian who won an Olympic gold medal for weightlifting. Sonika married an NRI, Siddhart Mallik and is now happily settled in California, USA. Her husband Siddhart is also a sportsman, having been a national champion in Martial arts in the United States.
Sonika participated in Asian games at Doha, and even though she didn’t win that time, Geetika Jakhar, another Indian female wrestler brought back a silver medal. She was training to take part in Beijing Olympics in 2008 but due to some problems with the coach, she wasn’t put forward for it.
Sonika also puts the small-screen on fire with her participation in adventure reality show, Fear Factor. She has been featured in reality show - Khatron Ke khiladi with bollywood star Akshay Kumar. She was participated in Bigg Boss (season 5) and Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout in 2011.
Speaking about her recent appearance on the reality tv show, Fear Factor, Sonika says, "It’s a new experience for me to be on a set for a shoot, along with so many beautiful women. Initially I was very nervous and felt like the odd one out but when all the girls started interacting with each other, it turned out to be great fun. In fact, Roza, one of the contestants in the show, would walk up to me after every hour and ask for wrestling tips.”
Sonika also goes on to say that she was thrilled to learn that she would have to perform "tricky and challenging stunts on the show", adding “Being a woman wrestler, I was particularly impressed with the fact that the show is women-oriented and helps these 13 women to overcome fear. It sets an example for others and that is very inspiring."
