You Will Never Have Another Shankar Laxman

Only way to silence your critics is to perform, not buckle. Not many sportsmen’s career proved the axiom in a telling way than in the case of celebrated goalkeeper Shankar Laxman, who died on Thursday — unsung and unheralded – at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.

Critics were out with knives at his throat after India lost the Asian Games final (0-2) at Jagarta in 1962. That Pakistan was the reigning Olympic champions and India had to play the final with just 10 players (medio Charanjit Singh was injured early in the match and substitutions not in vogue in those days) did not count. They proved exactly what Dhyan Chand observed in ‘Goal’: ‘Goalkeeping is a thankless job’.

Manager Jamie Jameson, father of England Test cricketer John Jameson, led the attack. The well-known umpire wrote in his report, “Laxman has had his day. He in the goal did bring off some good saves but the manner in which he did so seemed more luck than judgment…I strongly recommend these players should not be considered for future international matches”.

Indian Hockey Federation in those days were headed by people of wisdom and for them sacking for the heck of it was akin to committing a sin. So, simple soldier Shankar Laxman survived. Survived to usher Indian hockey into another golden phase.

The next four years after Jakarta saw a more determined and motivated Shankar under the bar. So superb and scintillating was his performance that not even a single goal got past him in most of the tournaments in that spell, including the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1996 Bangkok Asian Games. No surprise accolades and awards followed him, Arjuna in 1964, Padamshri in 1967. Laxman’s feats were thus immortalized while Jameson’s views were blurred before buried once for all.

Shankar Laxman was star of 1964 Olympic gold. Listen to what honest Harbinder Singh says, “Everybody recalls the Tokyo Olympics final by the goal that Mohinder Lal scored. But I think the real hero was Shankar Laxman. His was simply great goal keeping. He was just unbeatable more so during the last 10, 15 minutes when Pak had many penalty corners, and there were 5, 6 rebounds. No chest guards and helmets during those days; just the pads and the stick”. Harbinder knew the things exactly as he stood behind the net for about five minutes when ‘hero’ Laxman had to be treated for a minor injury.

That’s why after the whistle, the whole team ran to Laxman and lifted him on their shoulders. ‘Hockey Circle’, an Australian magazine, added another stamp to Laxman’s authority when it wrote, “Pakistan fought well, but veteran goalkeeper Laxman saved brilliantly many penalty corners. There were other shots and other saves, for Laxman, the ball was the size of a football. It was his afternoon of glory and fame”.

Some of Shankar Laxman’s achievements are unique and unsurpassable. He was the first goalkeeper-captain in the world where the leadership used to be preserve of colourful scorers. Even in India, despite Laxman on his third Olympics in 1964, the captaincy went to Charanjit Sigh, who was on his second Olympics. But Laxman’s heroism at Tokyo changed the mindset; he led India at the Bangkok Asian Games, giving India its maiden Asiad gold. It took another 32 years for India to get another Asiad gold.

He played three Olympics finals (1956, 1960 1964) against the same rivals, but conceded just a goal. Similarly, three Asian Games final (no final in 1958, two in 1962, one in 1966), but just two goals conceded. In all, six finals against mighty Pakistan but Laxman conceded just three goals. Can anybody think of repeating these feats?

Such a great soul was running a ration shop at his hometown to eke out a life till he last breathed; and could not get star medical facility when gangrene affected him, are certain things the nation as a whole should ponder over and feel ashamed of. For sports lovers of course, there cannot be another Laxman.