Balbir Singh – all charm and class
Anand Philar
I first met Balbir Singh some 20 years ago when we shared the commentary box in Bangalore during a celebrity veterans match. Truth to tell, I was overwhelmed by his presence. I had heard a lot about this legendary centre-forward who played in three Olympics – 1948, ’52, ’56 – and winning gold medals in every attempt. He symbolised the halcyon days of Indian hockey that sadly has fallen on bad times.
Modest to a fault, Balbir merely smiled at me when I referred to the “golden days” that he represented. “Oh, all that was in the past, son. These days, hockey is played differently especially after the introduction of the astro-turf and the many changes in the rules. Sometimes, I can hardly believe that it is the same game that we once played,” he commented.
Balbir belonged to an era when Indian hockey produced class players by the dozen. Talent was in excess and the selectors had a tough time picking even the 16, leave alone the playing eleven. In such a scenario, Balbir was one of the few “automatic choices”. Those days, players used to celebrate when picked for the National camp and getting picked for the Indian team guaranteed stardom.
Despite the many “stars” in Indian hockey, it was Balbir who invariably hogged the limelight with his speed, rare scoring ability and a bundle of skills that was the envy of his team-mates. He reached the pinnacle of his playing career in 1956 when he was named captain of the Indian team that also boasted Udham Singh, arguably one of the finest forwards ever to grace the game.
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Balbir suffered a broken finger in the league, but India went on to defeat Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals. Randhir Singh Gentle converted a penalty corner to give India a 1-0 win against Pakistan in the final. The team selection was not without controversy. Muniswamy Rajagopal, the wily winger, who was one of the stars of the 1952 Olympics, was overlooked for reasons unknown. The side also included Leslie Claudius, who, like Udham, went on to play in four Olympics.
As destiny would have it, India never again reached such heights in the Olympics, as four years later in Rome the “Kings of Hockey”, playing under Claudius, were knocked off the pedestal by Pakistan. Although India regained the gold at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, the writing was more or less on the wall. Other teams were fast catching up, while at home, politics of the worst kind led to fissures in the set-up.
However, despite India’s fall from grace, Balbir’s image as a gentleman player and a feared striker remained untarnished. Even to this day, he is revered and a much sought-after celebrity despite having moved to Canada.
That he is always referred to as Balbir Singh (Senior) is because he was the first of several players with the same name who donned the India colours. The “Senior” is also mentioned in deference to his status. However, an endless debate among the old-timers is whether Balbir Singh of the Railways, a member of the infamous bronze-medal winning 1968 Mexico Olympics team, was as good as the “Senior” in the context of goal-scoring ability and speed. But Senior Balbir would not get into any such discussion when I raised the topic with him.
However, the fact remains that the two Balbirs played in different eras and as such, comparisons can be odious. Those who had the privilege of having watched both these greats during their peak believe that Balbir Senior held a distinct edge as a leader, something that the Railways Balbir, who liked to live the good life, never was.
Be that as it may, the ethos of Indian hockey can never be spoken about without a mention of Balbir Singh (Senior) who carried the proud legacy of Dhyan Chand. In fact, old-timers say that Dhyan Chand himself was a great admirer of Balbir and there can be no higher praise for a hockey player.
If anything, Balbir Singh occupies a prime position in the pantheon of Indian hockey and the grace and elegance that marked his playing style is very much apparent to this day. Recently, he visited England where he was honoured by the Hockey Writers’ Club and, by all accounts, Balbir has not lost any of the charm that drew me to him some two decades ago. He was not willing to talk about his salad days. Rather, he would let the deeds do the talking.
Given the sorry state that Indian hockey has slid to, it is the likes of Balbir Singh whose great feats in the previous century provides even the hardcore cynic among us something to rejoice in.