For avid hockey fans aged nearly 60 or more, one date remains etched in their minds: March 15, 1975. Fifty years ago, Indian hockey reached its zenith when the Indian team defeated arch-rival Pakistan in a packed Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur to lift the Hockey World Cup trophy. In a country then largely lacking sporting triumphs, that hard-fought victory instilled a much-needed sense of national pride.

India has changed significantly since that groundbreaking win, making great strides in various sports. From Cricket World Cups to Thomas Cups, India has produced sporting icons like Prakash Padukone, P. Gopichand, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Leander Paes, Neeraj Chopra, and Gukesh Dommaraju. Yet, the charm of the stars of the 1975 hockey World Cup team hasn't diminished, even after five decades. Recently, Delhi witnessed the book launch of ‘March of Glory,’ authored by eminent hockey writers Errol D’Cruz and K. Arumugam. Ashok Kumar, who scored the winning goal in the final, and other hockey legends like Harbinder Singh and Zafar Iqbal, both former Indian captains, attended the event. Fittingly, it was held at Shivaji Stadium, which has hosted countless pulsating hockey matches over the years.
Soft-spoken K. Arumugam and D’Cruz deserve immense credit for producing such a fascinating book that meticulously captures every detail of the unforgettable triumph. The cover design is equally impressive. "Ashok Kumar, son of the hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, received an offer to play for a club in Italy just before the Kuala Lumpur World Cup. Despite the temptation, the classy forward declined the offer to play for India." The rest, as they say, is history – he scored the golden goal.
When the stunned Pakistani team realized they were down by a goal in the final, they protested, claiming the ball hit the goalpost and didn't cross the line. In 2010, legendary Malaysian hockey umpire G. Vijaynathan, who officiated the tense final, told this writer in an interview: “Ashok took the shot from a rebound, and it hit the inside of the post. It was a clean goal… I was watching from a vantage point. The Pakistanis said the ball hadn't crossed the goal line, but I upheld the goal.”
Vijaynathan, whose roots trace back to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, described the Pakistani players' behavior as “nasty.” Recalling the aftermath, he said skipper Islahuddin and others “created havoc,” even alleging that he had awarded the goal to India under pressure, a “preposterous allegation.”
The book's final chapter, ‘Spirit of ’75 and a Deep Connect,’ evokes strong emotions. The heroes of the 1975 World Cup are now in their 70s. Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Dewan, Aslam Sher Khan, Ashok Kumar, and Harinder Singh Chimini all reside in Delhi. Dewan was just over 20 when selected to play in the final, despite not being the team's first goalkeeper. He later captained the Indian team. Harcharan Singh has settled in Gurdaspur, Punjab. Further south, crowd favorites Govinda, Leslie Fernandez, and Phillips live in Chennai. Sadly, Surjit Singh, Micheal Kindo, Mohinder Singh, Varinder Singh and Shivaji Pawar are no longer with us, but they remain integral to the team's legacy.
‘March to Glory’ features many heartwarming photographs, most captured by noted sports journalist Ashok Vahie. If Patrick Eagar was the preeminent cricket photographer, Ashok Vahie surely holds that title for hockey. Some of his pictures will bring tears of joy. In the chapter ‘Celebration and a Caution,’ when Ajitpal Singh's team visited Bombay, they received a grand welcome from Bollywood too. One picture shows actor Navin Nischal kissing Aslam Sher Khan's gold medal, the latter having become a national star after his last-minute goal in the semi-final. Another picture shows Ajitpal Singh standing with Danny, Asrani, and Omprakash.
The writer duo must be applauded for giving fair deal to MAM Ramaswamy and Ashwani Kumar for their yeoman service in providing all the help to team India. Both were stalwarts of Indian Hockey Federation( IHF). Ashwani Kumar was tough top who served as the Director General of Punjab Police and later BSF. There are so many hockey fans like Tej Singh Jaglan and Shamendra Singh across India who still recall the mind bogglong commentary of that epic final match by Jasdev Singh. Who can forget his "passionate declaration a split second after the final hooter. " Aur Khel Khatam... Bharat 2-1 se jit gaya. Bharat Hockey Champion hei.
Tailpiece: When the Indian team arrived in Chennai from Kuala Lumpur, M. Karunanidhi was among the VIPs who greeted them that too without his cap.

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