Honorary Captain Shankar Lakshman (7 July 1933 – 29 April 2006) was an Indian

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player who played as a goalkeeper. He was part of the Indian team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics, that won two gold medals and one silver medal. He was the first goalkeeper to become captain of an international hockey team and was awarded the

Arjuna award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

and the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Indian government. He was captain of the Indian team which won the gold in the 1966 Asian Games. After missing the selection for the 1968 Olympics, Lakshman quit hockey. He remained with the Army, retiring in 1979 as a captain of the

Maratha Light Infantry The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys, raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment in the Indian Army. Recruitment The class composition o ...

. He died in 2006 after suffering gangrene in one leg in Mhow.

Early life

Shankar was born on 7 July 1933, in Mhow a small cantonment town in the Indore District of the

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

region of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

, he belonged to the Shekhawat community of Rajasthan. Shankar began his sporting career as a footballer. He was the captain of the football team of Kodaria village in Mhow. He joined the Indian Army as a bandsman in the year 1947. He served in the 5th Battalion of Maratha Light Infantry.

Career

After joining the army, he made the switch to hockey from football. Starting his career in 1955 playing for Services. He earned praises for his goalkeeping, and was selected for the national team, on the back of an impressive run in the domestic circuit.

1956 Olympics

Coached by Sardar Harbail Singh, and managed by Air Commander O.P. Mehra, India looked poised for another gold medal. The team's captain Balbir Singh Sr. had suffered a fracture in his favoured right hand during the tournament, but the then 2-time Olympic gold medallist set an example by playing through the pain barrier and in the process, notched up his 3rd gold and India's only medal at the 1956 Olympics at the iconic

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

(MCG). The finals was setup between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, where Shankar kept goal, the only goal came from

Randhir Singh Gentle Randhir Singh Gentle (September 22, 1922 – September 25, 1981) was an Indian field hockey player and coach. He was part of the Indian team that won three consecutive gold medals in the Summer Olympics, from 1948 to 1956. Gentle is one of o ...

, to beat Pakistan 1–0 and India claimed its 6th consecutive Gold in Field Hockey, while Lakshman was praised for his great saves, against Pakistan's forwards.

1960 Olympics

Captained by Anglo-Indian wizard Leslie Walter Claudius, and marching towards their 7th consecutive Gold medal, the team was brimming with a rare mixture of youth and experience. Strong in the defence where the legendary goalkeeper Shankar Lakshman made for a formidable figure. Pakistan - India Hockey Olimpiadi 1960

Once again the finals was setup between India and Pakistan, it turned out to be a classic as Pakistan went ahead in the 11th minute through a goal by inside-left

Naseer Bunda Naseer Ahmed Bunda (15 May 1932 – 20 March 1993) was a field hockey player from Pakistan. He was born in Rawalpindi. Naseer Bunda was one of ten brothers and one sister. Two of his brothers died in infancy. Naseer's brother, Rasheed Ahmed, was ...

, right-in Hamidi had passed the ball to Nur Alam, the right-out, who in a flash and with a brief run hit the ball in the direction of the ever alert Bunda who dodged one to flick the ball on the left of the net, the one which a goal keeper of Lakshman's calibre could not stop, India lost 1–0, and were thus dethroned as the Kings of Hockey, much to the backlash of the fans back home.

1964 Olympics

The echoes of the 1960 Olympics defeat could be heard in Tokyo, where the Indian hockey team was not expected to win, at least according to the Indian media that doubted whether the Gold medal could be regained given Pakistan's ascendancy. Managed by Inder Mohan Mahajan, and captained by Charanjit Singh, the Indian team went on to beat Belgium 2–0, in their opening game. India once again met Pakistan in the finals, with India defeating Pakistan 1–0. Shankar was declared Man of the Match for his goalkeeping.

Retirement

After he captained India in the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok and again beat Pakistan for the gold medal, Lakshman was dropped from the 1968 Mexico Olympics squad, he subsequently announced retirement, in displeasure. India did not do well at the

1968 Mexico Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

, where India managed a bronze.

Later life and death

After his retirement from hockey, Lakshman served in the Army, and retired in 1979 as an honorary Captain in the Maratha Light Infantry. Towards the end Laxman lived in neediness, he was diagnosed with

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

. Doctors suggested amputation, but Lakshman preferred naturopathic remedies suggested by his friend, the hockey authorities did not pay any heed to his plea for help and were left on his own. The Madhya Pradesh government, offered assistance to Lakshman £300, towards his treatment which was considered more to be mortification than help, while Lakshman's grandson condemned what he saw as the lack of interest of the

Indian Hockey Federation The Indian Hockey Federation was the administrative body of field hockey in India. Incorporated in 1925, it was under the global jurisdiction of the International Hockey Federation. Background The IHF was formed on 7 November 1925 in Gwalio ...

. Lakshman died on 29 April 2006, after his battle with Gangrene. Laxman was cremated at Mhow with full military honours.

Awards and honours

* In 1964, he was awarded India's highest sports honour, the

from

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 188817 April 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Indian academician, philosopher and statesman who served as the President of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the vice president of ...

, the President of India. * In the 1964 Olympic final against Pakistan, Pakistan's Chef-de-mission Major General Musa said, ''Give us

Joginder Joginder (real name Joginder Shelly) was an Indian actor, director, producer, writer, singer, songwriter and distributor. Two Hindi films produced, directed, written, acted and distributed by him were "Super Hits" – '' Bindiya Aur Bandook'' a ...

and Shankar Lakshman, we will defeat you.'' It was the ultimate tribute to Shankar. * In 1967 he was presented with the prestigious

award by the President of India

Zakir Husain Zakir Husain Khan (8 February 1897 – 3 May 1969) was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1962 to 1967 and president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969. Born in H ...

. * Garrison ground of Mhow has been dedicated to Lakshman, the Infantry School has named it as Honorary Captain Shankar Lakshman Stadium. * In 1979 Laxman retired as an Honorary Captain in the Maratha Light Infantry. * During the 1964 Hockey Olympics finals against Pakistan in Tokyo, an Australian Hockey magazine Hockey Circle quoted "for Lakshman, the ball was the size of a football. It was his afternoon of glory and fame." * In 2016, he was posthumously awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.

In popular culture

Shankar's name was mentioned in the closing credits of the movie ''

Paan Singh Tomar Subedar Paan Singh Tomar (1 January 1932 – 1 October 1981) was an Indian soldier, athlete, and rebel (Baaghi). He served in the Indian Army, where his talent for running was discovered. He was a seven-time national steeplechase champion i ...

''. It was mentioned in the movie that Lakshman was a four-time Olympic gold medallist, however, this is factually inaccurate, as he was only a two-time Olympic gold medallist.

References

External links

*
A tribute to Shankar Laxman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakshman, Shankar 1933 births 2006 deaths People from Mhow Field hockey players from Madhya Pradesh Olympic field hockey players for India Olympic gold medalists for India Olympic silver medalists for India Field hockey players at the 1956 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 1960 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 1964 Summer Olympics Indian male field hockey players 20th-century Indian sportsmen Recipients of the Arjuna Award Olympic medalists in field hockey Asian Games medalists in field hockey Field hockey players at the 1958 Asian Games Field hockey players at the 1962 Asian Games Field hockey players at the 1966 Asian Games Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games silver medalists for India Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games Medalists at the 1966 Asian Games