Sayed Mohammad Jaffar Shah (December 1911 – 21 March 1937) was an Indian

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

player who competed in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

and

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

Early life and education

He was born in Shergarh, District Montgomery,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now in

Okara District Okara District ( Punjabi and ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. It became a separate district in 1982, prior to that it was part of Sahiwal District.Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

). Jaffar received his education at the

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and at the

Government College, Lahore The Government College University (colloquially known as GCU; Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded as Government College, Lahore, in 1864 under British administration, it became a university i ...

Playing career

In 1932 he was a member of the All India team that represented the country in

field hockey at the 1932 Summer Olympics The field hockey tournament at the 1932 Summer Olympics was the fourth edition of the field hockey event at the Summer Olympic Games. Medal summary Results Standings Matches ---- ---- References External linksMen Field Hockey Olympic ...

. The team won the gold medal. He played two matches as left-out. Four years later in 1936, he was again the member of the All India field hockey team. The team again won the gold medal for

field hockey at the 1936 Summer Olympics The field hockey tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics was the fifth edition of the field hockey event at the Summer Olympics. All games took place either in the Hockey Stadion or on the Hockey Stadion Field No.2. Both of the field hockey gro ...

. He played five matches as left-out.

Death & memory

He died as a result of a drowning accident on banks of river Ravi, near

, on 21 March 1937. https://www.mpositive.in/tag/syed-mohammad-jaffar-shah-kirmani/ A hockey pavilion was constructed at the Aitchison College Lahore in 1939 as a tribute to the memory of Jaffar and his services to field hockey in British India. Jaffar Memorial hockey tournament is organised annually b
Ali Institute of Education
in

Grave and epitaph

The inscription in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

language on the gravestone reads: "Syed Mohammad Jaffar Shah Kirmani son of Syed Nawazish Hussain Shah Kirmani, Date of Birth: December 1911, Date of Death: 21 March 1937. "(Late) Syed Mohammad Jaffar was one of the greatest players of (field) hockey, who was selected to the 1928 United India (All India) Olympics (field) hockey team but he could not participate in that global event due to his youthful age. In 1932, he was a member of the All India (field) hockey team that participated in Los Angeles (US) Olympics. He was considered one of the best players in the world on 'left-out' position although he was one of the youngest. He participated once again in the 1936 Olympics as vice-captain. Out of magnanimity of his heart, he decided not to be a candidate for the captaincy in favour of

Dhyan Chand Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player. He is widely regarded as the greatest field hockey player in history. He was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in add ...

, although initially, he was being considered as captain of this victorious team because of his professionalism and skill level. He was not only a brilliant sportsman and a great representative (plus an asset) of the country but also a figure of exemplary mannerism and conduct. "On the fateful evening of 21 March 1937, while on an hunting expedition on river Ravi near Lakho Dehar, he accidentally gave his life away to the river. He saddened his huge fan following and opted to respond to the call of the God. "Gravestone laid down by Syed Javed Hassan son of (Late) Syed Mohammad Hassan." An Urdu verse is also inscribed on the tombstone: وہی جواں ہے قبیلے کی آنکھ کا تارا شباب جس کا ہو بے داغ ضرب ہو کاری

References

External links

*
Olympic profile

How Alumni of Syed Mohammad Jafar's alma mater upheld his memory

Reopening Jaffar Memorial Pavilion And New Memorial Ground Opening Ceremony
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaffar, Sayed 1911 births 1937 deaths Field hockey players from Punjab, India Olympic field hockey players for India Field hockey players at the 1932 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 1936 Summer Olympics Indian male field hockey players 20th-century Indian sportsmen Olympic gold medalists for India Olympic medalists in field hockey Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Aitchison College alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Deaths by firearm in India Firearm accident victims Accidental deaths in India