Balbir Singh Dosanjh Story: Balbir Singh Dosanjh was a well-known Indian hockey player and coach. He was born on December 31, 1923, and died on May 25, 2020. His outstanding accomplishments include three Olympic gold medals, where he was instrumental in India’s victories in the 1948 London Games, the 1952 Helsinki Olympics (as vice-captain), and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics (as captain). As a player and a leader, Balbir Singh Dosanjh made significant contributions to Indian hockey that will live on in the annals of the game.
One of India’s best hockey players, Balbir Singh Dosanjh is revered as a real legend of the game. His hockey career got off to a fast start when his freedom-fighter father gave him his first hockey stick as a special “Birthday Gift” when he was five. With this early gift, Balbir Singh Dosanjh began a spectacular career that would make him a significant player in Indian hockey history.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh Story: The Field Hockey Icon Biography
Before the Gavaskar, Kapil Devs, and Tendulkars, there was a young Punjabi lad who represented India with pride across the world. The most popular and watched sport in India in the early 1940s and 1950s was hockey. The 1936 Olympic Gold Medal winner, Dhyan Chand, who is unquestionably the father of Indian hockey, ignited a revolution.
He played custodian when he was 12 years old. While watching Team India’s performance at the 1936 Olympics, Balbir saw that some of the players scored goals (Dhyan Chand 3, Dara 2, Roop Singh 1, Tapsell 1, Jaffar 1 & at that time). Balbir could picture the crowd cheering for him as he scored a goal for India in his dreams!
Balbir Singh Dosanjh committed his life to playing as a Centre Forward and tirelessly scoring goals for Independent India. He was motivated by his vision and propelled by tenacity. The effect of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, when India had previously experienced glory, ignited a ferocious desire that molded extraordinary players like Balbir Singh Dosanjh and propelled them to make history on the ice hockey pitch.
Balbir Singh’s Remarkable Accomplishments
He was one of the select few players to win three Olympic Gold medals, earning the nickname “Bhishma Pitamah” for hockey throughout the globe. This accomplishment was made by the adaptable center-forward at the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Olympic Games.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh became obsessed with hockey as a teenager after seeing a few black-and-white newsreels of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was enthralled by Dhyan Chand’s sales of dummies to the opposing defense. That was the day he decided to play hockey and bring home gold for India.
Dosanjh scored five goals in the championship game at the 1952 Olympics. A player has yet to surpass the Olympic record. The amazing center striker scored nine goals in total for the competition, which topped all scorers that year.
He received a unique honor in 1952 and 1956 when he was selected to carry the Indian delegation’s flag during the Olympic Games. Balbir Singh Sr., according to Dosanjh family associates, is a direct descendant of Baba Bidhi Chand. Perhaps from this, the legendary figure of Indian hockey got his fighting instincts.
The senior just received the ‘Keep Walking’ Honour for Lifetime Achievement at the Indian Sports Honours.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh and His Love for Hockey
As he puts it, 85 years ago was the beginning of the path to his life’s vocation. For his seventh birthday, his freedom warrior father Dalip Singh Dosanjh handed his son a hockey stick. Balbir’s father’s heart was warmed by the joy with which his kid unwrapped the present and rushed to the surrounding ground to play with his new stick.
Born in Haripur Khalsa, Punjab, on October 19, 1924, Balbir Singh Dosanjh attended Dev Samaj High School in Moga, DM College, and Khalsa College in Amritsar for his education.
It turned out that their backyard served as his school’s hockey pitch. Balbir the child played with his friends here after school. Dalip Singh would frequently question if his son’s gift had diverted him from his academics when seeing him from the window of his modest house.
But he had no idea at the moment that his kid would one day win three Olympic gold medals and go down in hockey history!
Balbir Singh Dosanjh’s Early Stint in Hockey
At first, Balbir Singh Dosanjh participated in sports for the Sikh National College team in Lahore. Harbail Singh, the coach of Khalsa College Amritsar, however, encouraged him to transfer there.
The blue-eyed, favorite apprentice of his trainer was Balbir Senior. Harbail Singh would pull the young Balbir away after the team ended their practice and instruct him to improve his dribbling technique. ‘Top-of-the-striking-circle’ shots into a goal was the coach’s response, which lasted for an hour.
He then relocated to Amritsar in 1942, where he started his training and practice under Harbail’s direction. He was chosen to represent Punjab University in 1942–1943, leading his team to three consecutive All India Inter-University championships in 1943, 1944, and 1945. When the Undivided Punjab (India and Pakistan) side that was coached by Col. AIS Dara won the National Hockey Championships in 1947, Balbir Sr. played for them.
Singh and his family were compelled to relocate to Ludhiana due to the partition of India. He was sent to the Punjab Police, where from 1941 until 1961 he served as squad captain.
Balbir Singh Sr – Greatest Center Forward to Grace the Olympics
Indian hockey icon Balbir Singh remains the record holder after winning three gold medals at the Olympics. In an Olympic final versus the Netherlands in Helsinki in 1952, he scored the most individual goals (five).
Between 1928 and 1956, the Indian men’s hockey team won six straight Olympic gold medals, setting a record. The later three of those illustrious victories included a pivotal part for the brilliant center striker Balbir Singh. He not only helped his team win in 1956, but he also scored significant goals.
1948 London Olympic Games
When he made his Olympic debut against Argentina in India’s second game, Balbir Singh Dosanjh, then 23 years old, served as the offensive catalyst. He was a gifted young player who had an early effect, scoring a double hat-trick (6 out of 9) in a commanding 9-1 triumph.
It was August 12, 1948. Wembley Stadium was jam-packed with 25,000 spectators for the much anticipated gold-medal match between Great Britain and India. The British were put up a fight by the Indians. With two goals in the first half, Singh Sr. contributed significantly to the 4-0 victory.
The stunning victory gave a nation that had just gained independence its first significant sporting victory. India’s first gold as an independent country was this one.
1952 Helsinki Olympic Games
In international hockey contests, the Indian squad reigned supreme. After four years, the native of Punjab took over as India’s flag bearer at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Opening Ceremony. As the team’s vice-captain, he set a good example by maintaining excellent shape throughout the Olympics.
He scored all of the goals in a 3-1 victory over Great Britain in the semifinal. Balbir Singh Dosanjh was completely unstoppable in the decisive game against the Netherlands, putting the ball five times past Lau Mulder in goal.
In a convincing 6-1 win, the individual scoring record still holds today. The Indian center striker scored nine of India’s 13 goals in the Olympic Games in Helsinki.
1956 Melbourne Olympic Games
Balbir Singh Dosanjh was chosen as the Indian team’s captain because of his incredible dribbling skills and leadership ability. He served as the flag bearer for the Indian delegation at the games in addition to serving as the team’s captain.
The dribbling master did not find the extra duty to be difficult. By beating Pakistan 1-0 in the championship match, he inspired his teammates to win their third consecutive Olympic gold medal.
He had five strikes in the opening game against Afghanistan, which India dominated 14-0. The skipper had to miss the team’s match until the semifinals due to an injury sustained during this high-octane performance. His skill with the stick helped India defeat Germany 1-0 in the semifinals and get to the gold medal game.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh as a Coach
Balbir Singh Dosanjh also won medals for his country in other international competitions. At the Asian Games in Tokyo in 1958 and the Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962, he competed for the Indian hockey team. India took the silver in each competition.
He worked as the manager and head coach of the Indian Hockey team after his playing career was done. Balb prepared eight Indian Teams for international competitions in his capacity as main coach and manager. He led the Indian hockey team to a bronze medal finish in the 1971 World Cup Hockey competition. The Indian team’s victory at the 1975 Hockey World Cup served as the pinnacle of his coaching career.
Awards and Recognition
- Balbir Singh Dosanjh was the first sportsperson to be honored with the Padma Shri award in the year 1957.
- He lit the Flame at the Asian Games 1982 held in New Delhi.
- In a poll conducted by the Pioneer newspaper in 1982, he was adjudged as the Player of the Century.
- In 2006 he was named the Best Sikh Hockey Player of All Time.
- Hockey India honored him with the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
- He has his name in The Guinness Book of World Records for the longest unbroken record of scoring maximum goals in any Olympic Hockey Finals.
- During the 2012 London Olympics -Chosen as one of sixteen ‘Iconic Olympians’, among all participants in all disciplines.
