On Thursday, Hockey India mourned the death of hockey hero Charanjit Singh, a Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee, who died in Una district, Himachal Pradesh, due to age-related difficulties. He was 92 years old at the time.
India’s glory days were witnessed by the two-time Olympian. Charanjit Singh, a dynamic halfback, led the Indian team to a historic Gold Medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, defeating Pakistan in the final, and was also a member of the 1960 Indian Olympic squad that won silver in Rome.
Charanjit Singh, who was born on November 20, 1929, attended Col. Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun and Punjab University. He worked as the Director of the Physical Education Department at Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla after his distinguished career in international hockey.
In June 2021, when Hockey India interviewed the veteran for the Hockey India Flashback Series in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, he vividly remembered the final against Pakistan in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
He also recalls the warm reception they received when they returned to India with the coveted Gold medal around their necks. “Winning two medals for my country has been an honor and a source of pride for me. After winning the Gold Medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, we were greeted with a warm welcome at the airport, where a large crowd had gathered, and it was a very memorable sensation for each of us.”
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“In India, hockey was an extremely popular sport. It was given more weight because of its long history, and our country had previously dominated this sport. We had won numerous gold medals at a renowned event such as the Olympics, and it was one of the main reasons for it “When talking about the golden era of Indian hockey, the nonagenarian noted.
Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam expressed his condolences on Charanjit Singh’s death, saying: “The hockey community is mourning today. Even in his old age, he would light up whenever there was a discussion about hockey, and he could vividly recall every memorable occasion from India’s golden hockey days. He was a great halfback who influenced a generation of football players. He was a calm Captain who will be remembered for his outstanding on-field abilities as well as his modesty off the field. I offered my heartfelt sympathies to his family on behalf of Hockey India.”
