Jaipal, who had broken his term at Oxford without leave to play in the Games, paid a personal price for the victory. He returned to Oxford after the festivities were over, only to be confronted with angry dons. As he put it:
I was told that as I had broken term I would have to stay for one more year. Captaining India to world championship was no prize for the British. I resigned from the ICS and refused to pay back 350 pounds. I was not put in gaol.31
Jaipal’s resignation from the ICS after that first hockey win led him away from sport to a different arena: he gradually moved into politics and became the leader of the Adibasi Mahasabha in 1938. The man who had looked in derision at Dhyan Chand for his rustic manners now became the champion of India’s tribals. He held the view that the tribals were ‘the original inhabitants’ of the subcontinent—hence the term ‘adibasi’ or ‘adivasi’. As Ramachandra Guha has pointed out, Jaipal went on become the greatest defender of tribal rights in the Constitutional Assembly and his interventions were erudite as well as spirited, as for instance when he opposed the prohibition of alcohol which had been inserted as a Directive Principle. Alcohol, he said, was part of the daily and ritual life of the tribals of India and he denounced the ideas of prohibition as an interference:
…with the religious rights of the most ancient people in the country… it would be impossible for paddy to be transplanted if the Santhal does not get rice beer. These ill clad men…have to work knee-deep in water throughout the day, drenching rain and in mud. What is it in the rice beer that keeps them alive? I wish the medical authorities in this country would carry out research in their laboratories to find out what it is that the rice beer contains, of which the Adibasis need so much and which keeps them [protected] against all manner of diseases.32
Jaipal’s hockey adventure led to his premature departure from the ICS but the ICS’s loss was independent India’s gain. It was Jaipal who initiated the demand for a separate tribal state of Jharkhand, which was ultimately carved out of Bihar in 2001.
LOANS OF GLORY: EN ROUTE TO
LOS ANGELES, 1932
Global economic depression, starting from the Wall Street crash in 1928, meant that India, Japan and the United States were the only entrants competing for hockey honours at the Los Angeles Olympiad in 1932. However, that does not take away from the fact that the Indians were far superior to any of their contemporaries. With a view to defending the title won at Amsterdam, the IHF tried to pick the best team possible for the 1932 Games and organized an interprovincial trial in Calcutta in March 1932. Only Dhyan Chand was an automatic choice. Based on performance at the trials, the appointed representatives of the provinces affiliated to the federation picked the rest of the national team led by Lal Shah Bokhari. G.D. Sondhi was appointed manager and Pankaj Gupta the non-playing captain and assistant manager of the touring side.
The effects of the depression were also felt in India and the IHF found it exceedingly difficult to raise funds to undertake the tour. In the end, money came from a diverse range of sources: contributions from Viceroy Lord Willingdon, the Governors of the provinces, a few of the princely families, public collections by the nation’s sporting public and proceeds from exhibition football and hockey matches played in Calcutta, Bhopal, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore, Singapore and Colombo. Even this was not enough to cover all the expenses but at least the team was able to leave Indian shores.33
Picking the team was the easy part but sending it overseas was a huge financial challenge. To cope with the financial shortfall, the federation took a loan of Rs 7,500. It organized exhibition matches for the national team at Colombo, Madras, Bombay, Delhi and Lahore on the team’s homeward journey and hoped that proceeds from these matches would wipe out the debt entirely. A sports goods dealer from Sialkot, Uberoi and Co. chipped in by supplying the players with hockey sticks and balls. The sticks, it is evident from players’ memoirs, were the very best available globally.
Despite the challenges, the IHF was reluctant to forgo the opportunity of international glory. A measure of the obstacles faced in sending the team is borne out by the reminiscences of Pankaj Gupta:
Before the Los Angeles Games, I, in my capacity as Hony Secretary of the Indian Hockey Federation and Mr. A.M. Hayman, the President, had more than our share of headaches. First there was the question of finance and secondly it was debatable whether it was worthwhile sending a team to play against such weak opposition as that provided by the USA and Japan. Several meetings were held and the IHF took a bold decision, prompted by the fact that if India did not take part the event might be deleted from the Games and possibly not revived…I am glad that we, in the larger interest of international glory, decided to send our team.34
In the same article, he emphasized Bengal’s contribution in promoting hockey in India and declared, ‘it might be news to many that most of the money at the earlier stages of India’s participation in Olympic hockey came from Bengal. I must not be misunderstood when I refer to Bengal, which I have not done from any parochial angle but public memory is always short and history and tradition should not be forgotten.’35 He went on to state that in his opinion the best Indian team ever produced was the 1932 Olympic team, which played on consecutive days despite having to undertake overland third-class travel on the Continent to meet expenses.36
India’s newly picked team played its first pre-Olympic tour match at Bhopal on 15 May against a team from Aligarh University. The national team won easily, scoring five goals each on either side of half time. On 16 May they played the Bhopal team, beating them 8—2. While at Bhopal the team was accorded royal treatment as guests of the Nawab. Prince Rahid-uz-Zafar Khan, who made a contribution of Rs 1,000 towards the tour fund, organized a reception in their honour. At the time of the visit, the Nawab of Bhopal was away on official work and sent the team the following message:
I extend a most hearty welcome to the members of the Olympic Hockey Team on their visit to Bhopal and my keenest regret is my absence from my state on this occasion. But my inability to show you and your team hospitality in person will not diminish the cordiality, which my state will offer you on my behalf, or the sincerity of my good wishes for the success of your mission. Our Indian team represents the true spirit of sportsmanship in India and carries with it the good wishes of all people. We are confident that all of you will…keep the flag flying in all the countries you include in your tour. Your sporting achievements will… add further glory to the fair name of India and enhance its reputation among the nations of the West…37
This message is indicative enough of the respect accorded to the players by the Nawab. For players like Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh, men from underprivileged and humble backgrounds, the game was a means to social respectability. Like in football and cricket, princely patronage played a crucial role.
The communal riots in Bombay, though, cast a deep shadow on the team when it moved to Bombay for three matches between 19 and 21 May. Attendance at these games was affected by the riots and from here the players moved on to Bangalore, Madras and then Colombo. Travelling around the country, raising money for their Olympic journey, the guiding principle for these players was the idea of ‘national self-respect’. As skipper Lal Shah Bokhari put it in a message issued in Madras: ‘I can assure my countrymen that we will bring respect to India and we will maintain our tradition as World’s Champion Hockey playing nation’.38
The money-raising drive did not end in India. En route to Los Angeles, the team played exhibition games at every port at which they docked. The only aim was to raise the money to wipe out their loans. Everywhere, their exhilarating stick work left dazzled onlookers in its wake. Watching them play in Ceylon, for instance, the Governor declared in awe, ‘Is it really over? I feel I have been watching your team play for only five minutes’.39 From Colombo the team set sail for Singapore on board the steamship Haruna Maru. The final destination of the pre-Olympics tour was Japan where the Indians beat an unofficial Japanese team by 11 goals on 20 June. Having
won hearts in Tokyo, the Indians proceeded to defend their crown at Los Angeles.
Their arrival in America was greeted with much fanfare, with Indians settled in California coming out in large numbers to fete the team. The citizens’ forum of San Francisco organized a civic reception in honour of the Japanese, Philippine and Indian Olympic athletes when the boat carrying the Indian team stopped in San Francisco for two days on 6 July 1932. At the reception the Mayor presented a key of the city to each delegation. Finally, after a 42-day voyage, the Indians arrived in Los Angeles. Once settled, they were all praise for the Olympic village and the training facilities at the University of California. What especially impressed the Indians was the wholesome food on offer in the Olympic village.40 Local newspaper reports in the US mentioned that while the Indians indulged in light exercise, the US and Japanese teams practised all day long to improve their skills.41
INDIANS IN AMERICA: THE REAL ACTION
The first Indians in action at the Los Angeles games were the sprinters M. Sutton and R. Vernieux. Both athletes performed well and were successful in making it to the British Empire team picked to face the Americans after the Olympics. This was the first occasion when Indian athletes made it to the Empire team.42 While the Indians acquitted themselves well in athletics, in swimming N.C. Mallick lost out in the 400 metres freestyle competition, coming fourth in his heat. However, his timing was considerably better than what he had clocked at home, a remarkable achievement in a short span of time.
In hockey, India’s preparations did not go to plan with Hammond and Jaffer down with muscle strain and Lal Shah, the captain, badly hurt following an injury in practice. Penniger joined the injured list on 2 August when he suffered a hit on his eyebrow which required requiring stitches. Finally, a day before the first encounter against Japan, India’s goalkeeper R.J. Allen, who had distinguished himself at Amsterdam by not conceding a single goal, suffered a strained muscle that forced him out of the contest. Hind, the reserve goalkeeper, replaced him.43
11–1
In the opening match of the hockey competition at Los Angeles, the Indians overwhelmed the Japanese by 11 goals to one. If contemporary reports are anything to go by, India’s clinical display mesmerized the Japanese, who had no answer to the deft stick work and ball control exhibited by the Indians. Dhyan Chand scored four goals while Roop Singh and Gurmit Singh scored three goals each. Carr scored the final goal for India after a brilliant solo run. Match reports mentioned that the Indians would have fared better but for the soft turf to which they were still not accustomed.44
Having beaten the Japanese by a convincing margin, it seemed inevitable that the Indians would retain the gold they had won at Amsterdam. Their confidence was evident when they decided to make a series of changes to the team in the match against the US to ensure that all 15 players in the squad played a hand in the victory. Olympic rules necessitated that a player had to play a part in the competition to be entitled to a medal.45
24–1
This was how the match against the US, which saw the Indians make a mockery of the Americans by beating them 24–1, was reported back home:
India has retained the world hockey championship. Today, before a crowd that sat amazed at the skill of the Indians, the US suffered a defeat by 24 goals to 1. It was greatly expected that India would win easily but not even her most optimistic admirers thought goals would come at the rate of one in every two minutes. The Americans worked hard but the game was a revelation to them. Amazingly clever stick work of the Indians, the perfect understanding between forwards, the manner in which half backs came up to support and strengthen each attack, the flick passes of both forwards and halves—all these were new to the Americans who often were so spell bound by these tactics that they could only stand and gape at their nimble opponents. Roop Singh scored 12 goals and Dhyan Chand 7, Gurmit Singh scored 3 and Jaffer and Penniger 1 each.46
In the immediate aftermath of the victory there were spectacular scenes of jubilation when India’s flag fluttered at the summit of the stadium and the band played the national anthem of British India. Newspapers across the world paid tribute to the incalculable superiority of the Indians and surprisingly did not express astonishment at the magnitude of the score, which was an international record. Rather, newspapers in the US expressed satisfaction that the US was able to score a lone goal against the mighty Indians.47 The US captain’s comment that for most of the game ‘they were chasing shadows’ aptly summed up the nature of the encounter. Finally, a special broadcast was arranged to comment on India’s incomparable prowess in hockey and pay tribute to the Indian team’s exceptional conduct and widespread popularity.48
The Viceroy, who had helped in raising funds for the team, sent a congratulatory message as well: ‘I am delighted and proud to learn of the splendid victory of our hockey team. Please give all members of the side my warm congratulations upon retaining World’s Championship’.49 The director of the Olympic Village wrote the following message to Pankaj Gupta: ‘The Indian team being in the village longer than any of the others became part of the family. On behalf of all my associates and myself here I want to thank you, and through you the entire Indian delegation, for the splendid cooperation you gave us in the operation of the village’.50
Not surprisingly, after the final, the Indian community in Los Angeles went berserk. Many contributed generously to raise a pool of $400 needed to enable the Indians to travel around the country exhibiting their skill. The post-Olympic tour lasted for almost a month.51
‘He Is an Angel’
India started her post-Olympic tour at Philadelphia with a rematch against the United States on 20 August. This time around the final score was a wee bit respectable for the United States, with the Indians winning 20–1. The visit to Philadelphia was followed by a return visit to California before the Indians embarked upon a tour of Europe. Again financial considerations were paramount here. When in Los Angeles, the advantages of returning via Europe were considered by the Indian delegation. Pankaj Gupta was determined to make this happen and did a great deal to obtain quotations for rail and steamer fares. When it came to know about the Indian intention to travel through Europe, the German Hockey Association invited the Indians to play a certain number of Games in the continent. The Indians accepted the offer as it did not involve a substantially higher expenditure than if they returned via Japan.52
The Indian Olympic team played nine matches in Europe on their way back and won each one of them—despite Europe being a logistical nightmare, as reported by the president of the IHF:
Every member of our party enjoyed the tour immensely, notwithstanding the strenuous travel we had to undertake. To play the match at Budapest on 15 September, we had to travel by bus from Vienna to that city and back, a distance of 500 kilometers. We left Vienna at 10.30 am, arrived at Budapest at 5 pm., played at once, and returned to Vienna at 2 am the following morning.53
The Indians received their warmest reception in Amsterdam. People at the Dutch capital were jubilant to have the team back in the city. Old acquaintances like Leming, attaché to the Indian team four years earlier, organized a civic reception for the Indians in which the players were presented with the local mascot—a monkey.54
Contemporary reports make it clear that Dhyan Chand was an idol in the hockey world of Europe. Germany held him dear, calling their best hockey player ‘the German Dhyan Chand.’ At Prague a young lady insisted after the match on kissing India’s hockey wizard, a demand that made him extremely uncomfortable. ‘He is an angel,’ she declared before kissing him. In Germany the Indians met the German national team in Munich and beat them 6—0. After the match, the Indian contingent presented a stick signed by the entire squad to their hosts at the German Hockey Federation.55
In all, the Indian team played 28 matches on tour and scored a total of 263 goals.
THE PROBLEM OF THE RUPEE
Neither the Olympic title nor the spectacular display put up on numerous occasions across the
world was enough to solve the financial crisis that plagued Indian hockey. At the start of the tour, the team was short of the estimated expenditure by Rs 8,000–10,000. The contributions received as a result of matches played at various places on the way to Los Angeles had made up a large part of this deficit. However, expenses in America were way in excess of the estimate and transport charges for excess baggage throughout the tour weighed heavily on the touring party. Added to this was the extra expenditure incurred in Europe to play a series of exhibition matches in several European countries. As the IHF president put it: ‘We all took too much luggage with us. This involved us in avoidable expenditure in transport charges. This is a matter that should receive careful attention in subsequent tours’.56
Tour expenses were met from the special fund and by drawing upon the few thousands from the main account of the federation. The final debt stood at a substantial Rs 12,000. The team was forced to issue a plea to sports fans and sporting clubs back home to come forward and make a donation to the tour fund.
Interestingly, the managers of the team were determined to get the accounts of the tour fund audited at the earliest instance and were also keen to publish a summary of the receipts and expenditures incurred to ensure transparency.57 Whether this was eventually done is not known.
Olympics-The India Story Page 9