Five years ago he suffered a stroke and has been paralysed since then. “Dad was paralysed after suffering a stroke five years back. He used to walk with a stick but since the last couple of months, his health deteriorated and this morning he left us,” his younger son V P Singh told PTI.

“His last rites will be performed today after my sister reaches Una from Delhi,” V P Singh said.

He lost his wife 12 years ago. While the eldest son is a doctor in Canada, the younger son was with him when he took his last breath. The only daughter of Mr Singh is married and based in New Delhi.

Singh, midfielder and two-time Olympian was remarkable in the fields. He was a part of team India during its glorious days in the Olympics. He led the team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, defeating Pakistan in the final and participated in the Indian team in Rome Olympics, 1960, where India claimed silver.

He was an alumnus of Col Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun and Panjab University. After his acclaimed career in international hockey, he served as the Director of the Physical Education Department in Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. 

Singh was a devoted hockey player and still had memories of the Rome Olympics where India lost by a delicate 0-1 margin against arch-rival Pakistan. Four years later, under his captaincy, India defeated Pakistan and clinched gold in the Tokyo Olympics.

Recollecting the fond memory in the lead-up to last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Charanjit had told Hockey India Flashback Series: “Both the teams were regarded among the strongest teams during that time, and we had a very challenging outing against them (Pakistan).

“Moreover, you know how intense it becomes when you play against Pakistan that too in the final of the Olympics. The match was also interrupted briefly to cool down the tempers of both teams.

“I told my boys to focus on the game, rather than wasting time talking to them. We were tested hard but also showed great character, and won the match by a narrow 1-0 margin to return home with that historic gold medal.”

“Winning two medals for the country has been a moment of pride and honour for me. You know, after winning the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, we were accorded a warm welcome on our arrival at the airport, a lot of fans had assembled, and it was a very special feeling for every one of us,” the eminent further shared. 

“Hockey was a very popular sport in India. It was given more importance because of the rich history, and our country had dominated in this sport in early years. We had won many gold medals at a prestigious event like the Olympics, and that was the key reason behind it.” 

“He was a legendary halfback who inspired an entire generation of players. He was a very cool-headed captain and he will forever be remembered for his incredible skills on the field and for his humility off the field,” Hockey India president Gyanendro Nigombam added.

The post India mourns the demise of Hockey eminent Charanjit Singh first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

To your recollection, Manpreet had led the men’s team to the Olympic Bronze after a desperate wait of 41 years.

“Asian Games will undoubtedly be the biggest event for us this year. Surely the competition will be quite tough at the Asian Games as all teams will be vying to make the Olympics cut (by winning gold),” he said, as quoted by PTI.

The team winning Gold at the Asian Games, starting from September 10, automatically qualifies for the Olympics. India claimed a Bronze medal in the Jakarta Games in 2018. 

The FIH Pro League matches begin in February and India will play the likes of Spain, Germany, Argentina and England in Bhubaneswar.

“This year is going to be quite exciting with back-to-back tournaments all year long. We begin with FIH Pro League matches in February. After almost two years, we will be returning to our favourite venue in Bhubaneswar where we will play double-headers against Spain, Germany, Argentina and England,” he said.

“The FIH Pro League will help us gain some really good match experience ahead of Asian Games. Additionally, it will give us a great opportunity to try out different combinations ahead of Asian Games,” he said in a Hockey India release.

The players are set to report at SAI Bengaluru for the national camp after a short break following their Asian Champions Trophy outing in Dhaka.

Manpreet said the camp will be important to assess their performances from last year and also plan for the year ahead.

“It was a very good 10-day break for all of us, spending some quality time with our families. I feel we have returned to the camp feeling mentally fresh and ready for the challenge ahead.

“We will be assessing our performances in 2021 with the Chief Coach and support staff and we will also draw up a road map for 2022,” added the midfielder.

The post One eye on Asian Games, other on Olympics first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

The national men’s team remained undefeated in 1928, 1932, 1936. When the world was recovering from the devastation of World War II in 1948, team India was gearing up for another win in the year itself, followed by another victory in 1952 and then in Melbourne in 1956. 

Though India was now playing as an independent nation, the match the next day, December 6, 1956, appeared to be more difficult than before. They were about to face Pakistan. 

Hopes were sky-high, so was speculation. Little did they know this is going to be the emergence of the acclaimed India-Pakistan strife. 

An independent nation, India, was about to face for the first time another independent nation which had had to be an integral part of it. With no further question pointed, this was a heart-touching occasion for the nations and the players can sense that in the air.  

Captain Balbir Singh Sr revealed in his memoirs that he found it difficult to sleep the previous night before the match. But neither he nor other players could step back. In the tournament, Singh got himself hurt at the very first match thus he was unable to participate in the finals because of incomplete recovery.

Nevertheless, he was made to run to the podium on the insistence of the head coach Harbail Singh, which per him would give a strong message to rivals. 

“He told me that even if I wasn’t able to play my best hockey, my reputation was such that the opponent would use two players to mark me and it would free up space for my other forwards,” shared Balbir.

“My injury was kept a secret from the opposition and that I didn’t shake hands with anyone. Just waved. I took pain-killing injections at the start of the game and at halftime and managed to play,” he added further. 

It was the deciding day. Match began, both teams giving a tough competition to the opponents. None could secure a single goal for the first half. Little did they know India was about to take the lead in the second half. 

Just a few minutes passed in the second half, team India earned a penalty corner which was pushed by Udham Singh. Raghubir Lal trapped the ball perfectly for Randhir Singh Gentle, who swept his shot into the Pakistan goal, past the last defender.

Even though Shankar Laxman was playing his maiden Olympics, he performed outstandingly and kept Pakistan at bay, foiling many attempts at his goal. 

Yay, India made it to the medal and won the sixth consecutive Olympic Gold.

Besides, India scored an Olympic record of 38 goals in five matches, a count that remains unbroken to date. Forward Udham Singh finished with 15 goals, the maximum number of goals in an Olympic campaign.

The post The tale of India’s sixth Gold at the Olympics first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.