5 Unsung India Heroes Of The Sports World

Sports have always been the pulse of India.

Be it boxing or cricket, be it kabaddi or football or be it weightlifting or swimming, India has always proven its worth on the international stage. But it saddens to see that in the course of time only those who were a part of the mainstream sports and those who consistently held the limelight were praised while the many others went lost in time.

Today, there is no dearth of inspiration to venture into the field of sports. But, way back, there was a time when there were a lot of social stigmas associated with it. From a strict-no for women in games to sports like gymnastics being looked down to, India has come a long way and the sportsmen and women have sweated it out to be recognized on the nation and international stage. But, have they been given their due respect?

With the National Sports Day being celebrated a few days back on the 29th of August, let us remember 5 of the un-sung Indian heroes of the sports world who made India proud with their phenomenal performances but went lost in time.

1. Makhan Singh

Makhan Singh

Everyone knows about the iconic Milkha Singh, but seldom do people know that the only Indian to have beaten this flying Sikh was Makkan Singh, in the 400 meters race at the 1962 National Game in Kolkata. However, it was absolutely saddening to see him pass away in 2002 in utter poverty after meeting a truck accident and his wife, to date, having received no assistance surviving by pawing all his medals.

2. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

Forced to pay for his own travel and lodging, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav made India proud by winning a bronze in the 1952 Olympics in bantamweight wrestling. With his indomitable spirit and his zeal for sports, he thus became the first Indian to win an individual medal after India’s independence – a record unmatched until Leander Paes won a bronze in the 1996 sports arena.

But, even this man’s story saw a sad ending as, even after joining the police force as the Sub-Inspector, he had to live his final days in poverty as he was deprived of his pension and finally left for his heavenwards journey after meeting a brutal road accident.

3. Murlikant Petkar

Murlikant Petkar

Suffering a bullet wound during the India-Pakistan war in 1965, Murlikant Petkar went on to become the first-ever individual gold medallist in Paralympics or Olympics in the 50m freestyle event at Heidelberg 1972, with a thumping world record.

But, it seems so unfortunate that India started keeping record only in 1984 and thence, did not grant his record as an official entity.

4. Shanti Devi

Shanti Devi

A 40-year-old woman selling vegetables at the Sonari Aerodrome Market at Jamshedpur, this is what the silver medallist of the Guwahati National Kabaddi League does to feed her family. Shanti Devi was a part of Bihar’s team, and the captain of the team in 1983-84, which made Bihar proud as it went on to win the National Kabaddi Championships in 1982 and 1983.

5. Shankar Laxman

Shankar Laxman

13 years of an illustrious career as a hockey player, Shankar Laxman was the first goalkeeper to captain an international hockey team. A man of steel, he went on to make his nation proud by winning 2 Olympics gold and 1 silver along with 2 Asian Games gold and 1 silver.

However, even this man lived in utter poverty and died due to no treatment of his widely spread gangrene, owing to the lack of any financial help from the India Hockey Federation (IHF) or the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or, for that matter, even the Sports Ministry.

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