Kishan Lal was an Indian field hockey player, hockey coach, and former captain of the Indian National Hockey Team. He is regarded by many as the best and the greatest right winger of all time.
In 1948, as the captain of the Indian National Hockey Team, he led India to victory in the finals of the hockey competition at the Olympic Games. This was the first Olympic gold of the country after it had become an independent nation. The icing on the cake was the fact that India defeated Great Britain, its former imperialist rulers, in the hockey finals with a score of 4-0 to capture the Olympic gold.
Kishan Lal passed away in Madras/Chennai in 1980. His death was mourned by all and several people paid homage and their respects to him before he was cremated in Bombay/Mumbai.
The character of Tapan Das played by actor Akshay Kumar in the upcoming Bollywood movie ‘Gold’ is based on the life of Kishan Lal. The film is set to release on August 15, 2018.
Early Life and Career
Lal was born on 2nd Feb 1917 British India’s Mhow village located in Central India Agency. As a young child, he was fascinated by Polo and not by hockey. He used to watch and enjoy games of polo for several hours at a stretch.
He began playing hockey at age 14 years. He soon became a popular player and in a couple of years began playing for teams like Jhansi Heroes, Mhow Green Walls, Kalyanmal Mills of Indore, and Mhow Heroes. In 1937, his talent and skills were noticed by NM Zutshi, the captain of the Bhagwant Club Hockey Team. He recruited him and Lal went on to play in the Bhagwant Cup of Tikamgarh.
Kishan moved to BB & CI Railway, now known as Western Railway, in 1941. He donned the Indian National colors for the first time in 1947 and subsequently went on a tour of East Africa under the captaincy of hockey legend Dhyan Chand. A year later he was appointed as the captain of the National Team, whom he led to an Olympic gold.
Kishen announced his retirement as a competitive field hockey player after playing the game for 28 fabulous years. He continued as the chief coach of the Railways Sports Control Board. During this stint as coach, he made the Railways hockey team into one of the best in the country and the world. He was even invited to train the Malaysian and East German teams.
Personal Life and Trivia
- Kishan had 4 sons and a daughter. His widow, now aged 83 years, lives with the youngest son at their ancestral property in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Their eldest son Devki Lal died in 2009. He was also a hockey coach.
- He was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 1966.
- Kishan used to be called ‘Dada’ by his colleagues, friends, and other acquaintances
