A long-term plan is needed for Indian hockey to regain its status of yore, said the 1948 and '52 Games gold medal-winning team member.
On this day 72 years ago, the Indian hockey team gave the country its first major sporting triumph as an independent nation when they clinched the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympic Games.
Olympians and dignitaries of the state government today bid their final adieus to legendary hockey player Leslie Claudius whose mortal remains were laid to rest at the Lower Circular Road Cemetery in Kolkata.
Triple Olympic gold medalist Leslie Claudius, who is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, is responding to the treatment and the doctors are hopeful, Bengal Hockey Association secretary Gurbux Singh said.
Former Indian hockey team captain Dhanraj Pillay feels that resuming of India-Pakistan hockey test series should help both countries in regaining their foothold at the international level.
'When he was a kid, Raj kept on watching Yuvraj, who would come for his nets at the academy and for kids. The first hero makes a lasting impression.'
Several former Olympians were among around 6,000 sports buffs who took part in a colourful 'Walk for Hockey' to kick start the centenary celebrations of the Bengal Hockey Association in Kolkata on Sunday. A galaxy of Indian hockey legends including Leslie Claudius, Keshav Dutt, Gurbux Singh, Jaswant Rajput, Ashok Kumar, Pargat Singh and Dhanraj Pillay rode on well decked-up phaetons to create awareness about the national game and revive hockey in the state.
Chuni Goswami needs insulin daily and due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown his medical supervisor is not able to attend him but his wife Basanti is 'managing' it somehow. Former India hockey captain Gurbux Singh remembers the World War II and also the partition but said he never witnessed anything like the current crisis.
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