Dumped in general wardDHYAN CHAND HE was undoubtedly the hockey genius. Like Pele and Bradman, Dhyan Chand’s domination of the game was complete. But the difference was that while both Pele and Bradman were raised to the highest pedestal — to the status of international icons — by their nations, the winner of three Olympic gold medals was dumped into the general ward of the All India Institute of Medical Science when the Dadda was diagnosed with liver cancer in the late 70s. Thrown out of official quarterROOP SINGH THIS hockey great reigned supreme on the field with brother Dhyan Chand and was part of the team that won the Olympic gold at a long stretch. However, Roop Singh’s family was thrown out of the official quarter by his employers — the Gwalior State.Bhupathis lend a helping hand to ailing Premjit LIKE Wilson Jones, the 62-year-old tennis legend is a forgotten man today. From being an athletic tennis player (1950-70), Lall is now confined to a wheel chair after he met with an accident in 1993. He is helped by a loyal attendant in Narender Das. Life has turned cruel to this once most debonair sports personality of the country. Lall, along with Ramanathan Krishnan and Jaideep Mukherjea, was the towering figure in Indian tennis pulling off many a stunning win in Davis Cup. Lall was touched by the gesture of the Bhupathis — Mahesh and Krishna presented him Rs. 4.11 lakh during the launch of Globosport at a WTA tournament — which has come as a big relief to the financially-strapped sportsman. Lall gets a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 from the AITA, although his pension from Central government has been stopped. But Lall has no regrets. He is happy what ‘God’ has given to him. Lall, who took to the game at 13 and made his Davis Cup debut four years later, lives a secluded life in Kolkata. For the records, he had Rod Laver on the backfoot when he led by two sets and was 3-2 on his serve in 1969 Wimbledon. ‘‘But I missed an easy volley. But he was too good a player,’’ said Lall, who has difficulty in talking too. — N JAGANNATH DASLimping towards the endMAKHAN SINGH HE died in 2001, broke and shattered since he could not look after his family after a truck accident which necessitated amputation of his leg. In his hey days, Makhan had set the tracks ablaze with his speed and Milkha Singh always considered him as his toughest competitor. The financial constraints drove his son, who was a promising footballer to commit suicide. Sold chaat to earn a livingMALWA RATED among the best wrestlers in his time by Russian experts, Malwa had won the gold in the 1962 Asian Games. Details of that memorable victory lies somewhere buried in the dust piling on Indian sports. What everyone in Delhi’s sports circle remembers is that the former wrestler, in his older days, had to sell chaat to earn a living. Legendary coach jobless till endILYAS BABAR CONSIDERED an athlete’s coach, the list of Babar Sahib’s trainees include five Arjuna Award winners, three Padma Shri recipients and six Asian Games champions. Yet, the treatment meted out to Babar was harsh since he was not the typical Indian coach. Babar was never considered for the job of a national coach and was treated shabbily by the Amateur Athletic Federation of India, the Sports Authority of India and the Services Sports Control Board when he had no job until his death last year. Gatekeeper at a cinema hallSOHAN SINGH FIRST Indian to break the two-minute barrier in 800m, he had fought two wars for the country. Today, the 72-year-old is languishing in poverty. When it became difficult to make both ends meet, the middle-distance runner from Parasrampur on the outskirts of Jalandhar started working as a daily wager. He was later employed as a gatekeeper at a cinema hall in Jalandhar. Sohan Singh, despite his achievements, still lives in misery. Breaking rocks at quarriesGOPAL DHINGRA In the 1970s, this promising hockey player from the Chhotanagpur area was projected as the player for the future. But after a few international appearances, his career got over — it has happened several others cases — with the competition level increasing. With no support forthcoming, the only career option before him was breaking rocks in the quarries near his hometown — something which he does even today. Zatopek’s mate ran a grocery shopSAMAR SINHA BEHRAMPORE in Bengal doesn’t find a mention in the sporting map of India. But it might have if Sinha had been able to make it to the Olympics. Bureaucratic red tapes prevented him from entering the marathon event of the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, won by friend and competitor Emil Zatopek of Czechoslovakia. Zatopek came back to India afterwards to race with Sinha in Murshidabad. Expectedly, the latter won. Sinha, till his death in the late 1990s, ran a grocery shop in Behrampore. Famous defender hunting for a jobDUNG DUNG THE former hockey stalwart had been rejected by all and sundry in his home state — Jharkhand — after he went hunting for a job. A member of the 1980 Olympics gold-winning team, Dung Dung, 56, is penniless, in a state of shock and broken with the attitude of officialdom. Now, he threatened to sell off his Olympic medal to survive. Star thrower semi-paralysedPARDUMAN SINGH HE produced one of the best performances by an Indian athlete at the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games — three gold, one silver and bronze medals. Ironically, the Sports Ministry recommended his name for the Arjuna award only last year, that too at the insistence of former hurdler GS Randhawa. When Parduman was lying in a serious state in a Punjab hospital after a truck accident there was no help coming from any quarter. The former thrower is now semi-paralysed. Three golds but died in penuryRANGANATHAN FRANCIS CONSIDERED the best goalkeeper of the country by hockey stalwarts such as Balbir Singh Sr and Leslie Claudius, Ranganathan died in penury. The triple gold medallist in Olympics was overlooked for job promotion by his employer —Madras Police — had retired as a havaldar. Sprinter struggled at finishing lineGABRIEL A TOP-CLASS sprinter who won the silver in the 1956 Asian Games, Gabriel was neglected by his federation and officials. In the later stage of his life, the athlete could not even afford to buy basic medicines and remained shunted to his one-room ramshackle house. Matman grappled with apathyBISHAMBAR SINGH ONE of the great wrestlers of the country, Bishambar had won the silver at the World Championship in 1967. He is employed with the Railways, considered to be the largest employer of sportspersons in the country. Yet, when Bishambar suffered a major heart-attack, he became a victim of apathy and neglect. Mr Universe not in right shapeMONOTOSH ROY THIS bodybuilder, who won India’s first Mr Universe title in 1951, was neglected by the authorities. Neither any recognition, nor any reward came his way. His children became disgusted at the general lack of concern even as Monotosh struggled to keep the tradition of bodybuilding alive by combining yoga.
