75 YEARS OF INDIAN SPORTS GAME GUT AND GLORY (HB)

When Balbir Singh Sr was
dropped from the 1948 Olympic hockey final, Indian students in London erupted
in protest for his comeback. He was inducted in the team and the rest is
history. His teacher mortgaged his own house to fund Olympics trip for his
pupil. This pupil was Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, India’s first individual
Olympic winner. On the day of the final, this shuttler had taken the London
tube, carried his kit, and walked to the court. Prakash Padukone would later
become the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton
Championships.

 Stories of triumph are often written
in tribulations. As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, we look back
at sporting achievements of this country and revisit the moments that made
memories. Nothing has united India as much as a fantastic performance in a
sport. The victories, the medals and the individual brilliance of India’s
sportspersons have bridged divides even during moments of despair in the
country. India has produced a number of brilliant individuals and teams who
have ensured that India’s flag is held high at all times. Whether it is a
hockey champion on either sides of Independence, or being home to flannelled
gods of cricket, soldiers of the 64 squares, tennis stars, wrestlers,
weightlifters, boxers, shuttlers or cueists, India has always aimed for the
top.

75 Years of Indian Sports, a part of the series Journey of a Nation, is a
chronicle of the country’s journey as a sporting nation, the journey of the
players from being amateurs to being world champions.