INDIA’S ROAD TO GLORY
League: Beat Austria Known as the ‘flying queen’, Ray Salway was Tata Air’s chief air hostess & a popular figure in Bombay hockey circle. She travelled in the flight that carried the team to London where the players jostled to get close to her. The gossip was that she wanted to travel with the players. The Indian Olympic contingent was housed in Richmond Park on arrival. Later, they shifted to a school premises. The move was resented by Indian Olympic Association officials. Some players felt it was because of the wrestling contingent, which was ‘dirtying the toilets’. Abdul Shakoor was a great forward. He scored the only goal that decided the National Championships crown in 1948. But he was not selected for London. His province (Bhopal) argued and got the nod to send him. He went but never got to play. Dejected, he moved to Pakistan. Manager AC Chatterjee was strict about everything during the two-month long tour. The liberal Anglo-indian and Goan players in the team hated him. When they returned by ship, one of them went into Chatterjee’s room, stole all valuables and threw them into the sea, reducing him to tears. Unlike nowadays, only those who played at least a match used to get an Olympic medal then. A player, who didn’t play any match, had an idea. He stole the jersey of another and played a game, making himself eligible for the elusive Games medal.
FORWARDS KISHAN LAL
Captain, right-winger,
BB & CI Railways, Bombay Flag-bearer of India’s Olympic contingent at the opening ceremony at Wembley
KUNWAR DIGVIJAY SINGH ‘BABU’
Vice-captain, inside-right, United Provinces, Lucknow
LAWRIE FERNANDES
Left-winger, Railways, Bombay
LATIF-UR-RAHMAN
Left-winger, Bhopal Infantry, Bhopal/indore
PATRICK JANSEN
Inside-left, Port Commissioners, Calcutta
REGINALD RODRIGUES
Centre-forward, Lusitanians, Bombay
GERRY GLACKEN
Centre-forward, Port Commissioners, Bengal
GRAHANANDAN SINGH
Centre-forward, Calcutta Port Commissioners, Bengal
BALBIR SINGH SENIOR
Centre-forward, Punjab Police, Moga (East Punjab), lives in Chandigarh/canada
MIDFIELDERS KESHAV CHANDRA DUTT
Centre-half, Tata Sports Club, Lahore/bombay, lives in Kolkata
AMIR KUMAR
Centre-half, Dunlop Factory, Punjab/bombay
MAXIE VAZ
Lusitanians, Bombay
JASWANT SINGH RAJPUT
Independent Club, Delhi
LESLIE WALTER CLAUDIUS
Right-half, Calcutta Customs, Bengal
DEFENDERS TRILOCHAN SINGH BAWA
Punjab Police, Faridkot
AKHTAR HUSSAIN
Bhopal Infantry, Bhopal
WALTER D’SOUZA
Lusitanians, Bombay
RANDHIR SINGH GENTLE
Tata Sports Club, Delhi/ Bombay
GOALKEEPERS RANGANATHAN FRANCIS
Madras City Police, Madras
LEO PINTO
Tata Sports Club, Bombay