flashback – memories of munich, 1972: the rattle of gunfire, the indo-pak battle on the hockey field
It is the dream of every sportsperson to represent his country in the Olympic Games. The pride, prestige and joy involved in being at the Olympics, participating in the march past and listening to the national anthem being played after you win a medal is the greatest joy a sportsman can experience.
I am lucky that I am among the few fortunate enough to have to have lived that experience.
Karnataka has produced many hockey Olympians, but Govinda, Manuel Fredricks, Somaya and I are the only Olympic hockey medal winners.
Actually, my favourite sport, when I was in the army, was football. But I also played hockey and slowly began to take more interest in the game.
After representing the state and country, my dream of participating in the Olympics came true when I was included in the hockey team lead by Harmeek Singh for the Munich Olympics in 1972.
I cannot describe what I felt when I got the news of my selection. I was surely on Cloud Nine. Yes, we returned with the bronze medal. In fact, I have never returned without a medal while representing the country for six years. That apart, what an unforgettable Olympics it turned out to be. I can never forget some of the moments I enjoyed; also, I can never wipe out the bitter memories of the massacre in the Olympics Village.
The Germans were brilliant in their organisation and were wonderful hosts. The Olympic Village was fantastic — one could meet the best sportsmen and women from all nations. I enjoyed the company of many a star during our stay. BP Govinda and I would always go around together and made many friends. I am in touch with many of those athletes even today although it has been 36 years since we met.
My most memorable meeting was with the winner of seven swimming gold medals, Mark Spitz. He was humble and down to earth and we had the chance to speak to him often.
One night, we suddenly woke up to the rattle of gunfire. The sound came from the building adjacent to the one in which we were lodged. Till the next morning we were not able to know what had happened. Everything was kept secret. Only later did we learn that it was a terrorist attack and that some Palestinians had killed two Israelis and had taken about six of them hostage. It was a heinous crime. How politics can upstage sport was felt so forcefully for the first time. There was talk that the Games would come to a premature end. We had begun packing our bags but, after hectic parleys, it was decided that the Games would go on.
We topped the group — we were unbeaten, winning six games and drawing against the Netherlands. We struck 25 goals and let in only eight.
We had made it to the semifinals and, amidst all the tension and security fears, we had to face, of all the teams, arch-rivals Pakistan. Though we dominated the game forcing 18 penalty corners, our penalty-corner specialist Mukhbain Singh failed to convert even one and we lost 0-2. We beat the Netherlands 2-1 to win the bronze with Govinda and Mukhbain scoring a goal each. Germany beat Pakistan 1-0 in the final.
The march past and the tributes to those who were killed in the massacre were unforgettable and we returned with mixed memories — many good, some bad and some ugly. Yes, I did go again to the Olympic Games — as the coach of the Indian hockey team to Seoul in 1988, where we finished 6th. But being in Munich as a young player will always remain my most memorable moment.