Tulsidas Balaram
Balaram in 1959
Personal information
Date of birth (1936-10-04)4 October 1936[1]
Place of birth Bolaram, Secunderabad, Hyderabad State, British Raj[2]
Date of death 16 February 2023(2023-02-16) (aged 86)
Place of death Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954 Army Combat Force
1955 Rider's Club Hyderabad
Hyderabad City Police
East Bengal (104)
Bengal Nagpur Railway
International career
1956–1962 India 27[2] (10[2])
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  India
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place1962 JakartaTeam
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tulsidas Balaram (30 November 1936 – 16 February 2023), also known as Tulsidas Balaraman, was an Indian footballer. Balaram represented India in multiple international tournaments, including the Asian Games, the Mederka Cup and the Olympics. Along with P. K. Banerjee and Chuni Goswami, Balaram was part of an acclaimed trio of players that helped propel India into what is widely regarded as its golden age of football during the 1950s and 60s.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Balaram made his mark playing football for the East Bengal of Kolkata, and captained the team in 1961–62.[9][10][11] He predominantly played as a center or left-wing forward[12] In 1962, he received Arjuna Award from the Government of India.[13][14]

He retired after playing for eight years due to a tuberculosis diagnosis at the age of 27.[3]

Early life

Balaram was born on October 4, 1936, in Ammuguda, a village near Secunderabad in British-occupied Hyderabad. Despite being born into poverty, Balaram showed interest in football from a young age. He recalls getting his first pair of football boots by convincing a cobbler to repurpose an old pair of torn police shoes. When he was 19, he was encouraged by Syed Abdul Rahim to try out for the Hyderabad team for the 1956 Santosh Trophy. Rahim provided Balaram with a monthly allowance for a bicycle so that he could commute from his village to practice in Hyderabad.[15]

Club career

After his parents migrated to Secundrabad, Balaram started playing football at the Lallaguda workshop ground, and practised Hyderabadi style of one-touch football.[16] He was scouted during a Secunderabad League match between Civilians and Army XI.[16] He then appeared with Ryders Club, and eventually impress chief guest, Indian manager Syed Abdul Rahim.[16] Balaram first played for the Hyderabad team in the 1956 Santosh Trophy. He scored against Bombay in the final, contributing to Hyderabad's 4–1 championship win.[17]

After the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Balaram was signed by East Bengal Club in Kolkata by then secretary J. C. Guha.[16] He became the highest paid player in the club at that time with a salary amount of Rs. 3,500.[16] He soon went on to serve as team captain. With the "red and gold brigade", Balaram won several titles including the 1958 IFA Sheild and the Santosh Trophy in 1959, 1960, and 1962.[15] During his days in East Bengal, Balaram played under coach Sushil Bhattacharya.[18][19] In the 1959 CFL season, he finished as second highest goalscorer with 23 goals.[20] He also played for Bengal Nagpur Railway with Arun Ghosh.[21][22]

International career

"Golden Trio" of Indian football, Balaram in extreme right, along with Goswami (in left) and PK Banerjee, at the 1962 Asian Games.

Balaram played a total of 36 matches for India and scored 10 goals in international tournaments.[3]

Olympic Games

Balaram was recruited to the India national team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and made his international debut against Yugoslavia. Balaram and the Indian team finished in 4th place in 1956, marking India's best-ever finish in football at the Olympic games.[15]

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Balaram was responsible for 2 out of 3 Indian goals throughout the tournament. India were placed in the so-called "group of death", with Hungary, France, and Peru. They started the competition against Hungary, losing the game 2–1, with Balaram scoring India's first goal in the tournament at the 79th minute. Although they lost, the resulting score added to India's credibility within the group stage as the Hungarians beat Peru and France 6–2 and 7–0, respectively.[23] India almost upset 1958 World Cup semi-finalists France a few days later, with Balaram playing a pivotal role in the 1–0 lead deep into second half. [24] Balaram was the Indian team's only scorer in their final match of the tournament, a 3–1 loss to Peru.[15]

Asian Games

During the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, India's match against Hong Kong went into extra time after the scoreline was 2–2 during normal time. Despite an injury, Balaram assisted with two goals and scored one as India won 5–2.[25]

One of the more popular and widely recognized moments in his career came when India won the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. Balaram played every game and scored two goals, one each against Thailand and Japan. This marked the first and only time India has come in first place for football at the Asian games.[15][26]

Coaching career

After retirement, Balaram went on to manage one of the prestigious multi-sports clubs in Kolkata, Bengal Nagpur Railway.[16] He was later appointed coach of Calcutta Mayor's XI, and guided the team in competitions like Gothia Cup in Sweden, and played a key role in bringing up players including Basudev Mandal, Mehtab Hossain, and Sangram Mukherjee.[16] When a youth team under his coaching got an invitation to play in Germany, his visa was denied by Indian Govt. His team eventually played in Berlin, remaining unbeaten in four games. Balaram also worked as advisor of the Dum Dum Municipality's Kingston–Nikhil Nandy Football Academy.[27]

Reception and legacy

Balaram (in left) being felicitated by M. S. Gill and Ajay Maken in April 2011

Tulsidas Balaram was a complete player and could've fitted very well into today's total football. He could dribble, he could score and he had a brilliant header. Balaram was probably the best in Asia in his days.

— Gautam Roy, football historian, on Balaram to the Olympic Channel.[28]

Indian sports journalist Ajay Basu described Balaram as a "superb inside forward". Basu further praised Balaram's improvisation, industriousness and ability to hit curling shots, stating that "while Chuni Goswami had more flair in his play, Balaram had more variety and versatility."[25]

Former Indian international defender Arun Ghosh described Balaram as a man who had "two eyes on the back of his head" due to the high quality of his ball distribution. He was also the central figure of his teams, directing most attacking moves.[25]

Balaram, known for having a strong partnership with Chuni Goswami and P. K. Banerjee, is considered one of the "Indian football's holy trinity".[29][30][31][32][33][34]

Balaram retired from playing in 1963 due to a tuberculosis diagnosis.[3] After his death, players of both India and Kyrgyz Republic paid tribute to him ahead of the kick-off of the last game of the 2023 Tri-Nation International Tournament.[35]

Later life and death

After leaving Secunderabad permanently, Balaram became resident of Uttarpara, Hooghly.[5] He later worked as senior welfare officer in South Eastern Railway.[36]

On 26 December 2022, he was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata with abdominal distension and other age-related problems.[37][38] Balaram died on 16 February 2023, at the age of 86.[39][40][41]

International statistics

Selected international goals

DateVenueOpponentResultCompetitionGoals
26 May 1958Korakuen Velodrome, Tokyo Burma3–21958 Asian Games1 [42]
30 May 1958Tokyo Football Stadium, Tokyo Hong Kong5–21958 Asian Games1 [42]
1 June 1958National Stadium, Tokyo Indonesia1–41958 Asian Games1 [42]
31 August 1959Kuala Lumpur, Malaya Singapore2–01959 Merdeka Tournament1 [43]
21 August 1960Rome, Italy Tunisia2–2International Friendly2 [44]
26 August 1960L'Aquila, Italy Hungary1–2Olympic Football Tournament Rome 19601 [45]
1 September 1960Pescara, Italy Peru1–3Olympic Football Tournament Rome 19601 [46]
28 August 1962Senayan Stadium, Jakarta Thailand4–11962 Asian Games1 [47]
29 August 1962Senayan Stadium, Jakarta Japan2–01962 Asian Games1 [48]

Honours

India

East Bengal[49]

Hyderabad

Bengal[49]

Bengal Nagpur Railway[52]

Hyderabad City Police/AP Police

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tulsidas BALAMARAN". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Kapadia, Novy. "Tulsidas Balaram – The tormented genius of Indian football". Sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Legendary former India footballer Tulsidas Balaram dies aged 87". ESPN.com. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Dey, Subrata. "India — Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Legenday Indian Footballer Tulsidas Balaram passes away". indianexpress.com. The Indian Express. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "INDIAN FOOTBALL NEWS (APRIL 2021): Ahmed Hussein, former Olympian footballer passed away". www.kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Tulsidas Balaram". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Nizamuddin, Mohammed (14 July 2018). "Old-timers recollect past glory of city football". Hyderabad, Telangana: The Hans India. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Kolkatafootball.com :East Bengal League History: Indian Football Capital's News". kolkatafootball.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  10. ↑ "East Bengal FC » Historical squads". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "East Bengal Club – The Official Site of East Bengal Club". eastbengalclub.co.in. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "Hall of fame". Kingfisher East Bengal Club. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "LIST OF ARJUNA AWARD WINNERS - Football | Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports". yas.nic.in. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
  14. ↑ "List of Arjuna Awardees (1961–2018)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Nag, Utathya. "Tulsidas Balaram: Indian football's tragic hero". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Olympian Tulsidas Balaram, the once don of Maidan soccer is no more". getbengal.com. Kolkata: Get Bengal Information Desk. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  17. 1 2 Kapadia, Novy (27 May 2012). "Memorable moments in the Santosh Trophy". www.sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Mitra, Atanu (19 July 2015). "Legendary Indian coach Sushil Bhattacharya passes away". www.goal.com. Kolkata: Goal. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "ইস্টবেঙ্গলের প্রথম কোচ প্রয়াত" [First coach of East Bengal passed away]. www.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. 19 July 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  20. ↑ Morrison, Neil (26 January 2022). "India 1959 – List of Champions: Calcutta League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022.
  21. ↑ "Football — the passion play in Kolkata". ibnlive.in. IBN Live. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  22. ↑ Sengupta, Somnath; Ghosh, Aindrila; Sengupta, Bhaktimoy (23 August 2013). ""Lack of Focus on Youth Development Is The Biggest Problem of Indian Football" – Arun Ghosh (Exclusive Interview)". thehardtackle.com. Kolkata: The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  23. ↑ Qadiri, Faizan (4 September 2015). "Syed Abdul Rahim: The Indian Ferguson | The visionary who guided India to their greatest success". www.sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  24. ↑ Old-timers recollect past glory of city football Archived 22 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The Hans India. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  25. 1 2 3 "Legends of Indian Football : Tulsidas Balaram". thehardtackle.com. The Hard Tackle. 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Tulsidas Balaram, the last of the holy trinity of Indian footballers, no more". The Indian Express. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "আশি পেরিয়েও কোচিংয়ে প্রবীণতম অলিম্পিয়ান কোচ". eisamay.indiatimes.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Ei Samay Sangbadpatra. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022.
  28. ↑ Nag, Utathya (31 January 2022). "PK, Chuni, Balaram, the troika that scripted Indian football's Golden Era". olympics.com. The Olympics. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  29. ↑ Nag, Utathya (3 February 2022). "Indian football at the Olympics: The complete history". olympics.com. The Olympics. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  30. ↑ Media Team, AIFF (15 August 2022). "Indian Football Down the Years: Looking back at the glorious moments". www.the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  31. ↑ "পিকে-চুনী-বলরাম! ময়দানের কিংবদন্তি ত্রয়ীর তিন জনেই চলে গেলেন ইতিহাসের পৃষ্ঠায়" [PK-Chuni-Balram! All three of Maidan's legendary trio have gone down in history]. anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  32. ↑ "Chuni Goswami: A legend in every sense of the word". theweek.in. The Week. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  33. ↑ "Indian Football's Enduring Light, P.K. Banerjee Passes Away at 83". thewire.in. Kolkata: The Wire. PTI. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "Indian Football Legend PK Banerjee Dies At 83". outlookindia.com. Kolkata: Outlook India News. PTI. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  35. ↑ "Indian Football Team Players Pay Tribute to Late Legend Tulsidas Balaram Ahead of Kick-Off Against Kyrgyz Republic in Tri-Nation International Tournament 2023 (Watch Video)". latestly.com. LATESTLY. 28 March 2023. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  36. ↑ Majhi, Suman (16 February 2023). "প্রয়াত কিংবদন্তী ফুটবলার তুলসিদাস বলরাম, শোকে আচ্ছন্ন গোটা উত্তরপাড়া" [Legendary footballer Tulsidas Balaram passes away, entire Uttarpara is in mourning]. eisamay.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Ei Samay. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  37. ↑ "Legendary Indian footballer Tulsidas Balaram hospitalized". indianexpress.com. Kolkata: Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  38. ↑ "Legendary Indian footballer Tulsidas Balaram hospitalized". news18.com. Kolkata: CNN News18. Press Trust of India. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  39. ↑ Chowdhury, Rohan (16 February 2023). "চলে গেলেন ভারতীয় ফুটবলের কিংবদন্তি তুলসীদাস বলরাম, অপূরণীয় ক্ষতি দেশের ফুটবলে" [Tulsidas Balaram passed away aged 86 years]. bengali.news18.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  40. ↑ "Tulsidas Balaram, India's Asian Games gold-winning footballer, dies". hindustantimes.com. The Hindustan Times. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  41. ↑ "Tulsidas Balaram dies". theprint.com. The Print. Press Trust of India. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  42. 1 2 3 Ghoshal, Amoy. "Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1958 Tokyo". Sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  43. ↑ "Victory without glitter for India against lowly Singapore". The Straits Times. 1 September 1959. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  44. ↑ "India national football team 'A' international record: 1961". Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  45. ↑ "MATCH Report". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  46. ↑ "MATCH Report". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  47. ↑ Ghoshal, Amoy. "Indian football team at the Asian Games: 1962 Jakarta". Sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  48. ↑ "Soccer Team Poised For Semi-final: Japan Beaten 2–0". The Indian Express. 30 August 1962. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  49. 1 2 3 Das, G. C. (14 September 2008). "Indian Legendary Football Players Profile: TULSIDAS BALARAM". www.kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  50. ↑ Chaudhuri, Arunava (1999). "The Indian Senior Team at the 1959 Merdeka Cup". www.indianfootball.de. IndianFootball. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. (information given by Jaydeep Basu, Sunil Warrier, and Gautam Roy).
  51. ↑ Fujioka, Atsushi; Chaudhuri, Arunava (1996). "India – List of Santosh Trophy Finals: 1959 (second)". RSSSF. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  52. ↑ AIFF, Media Team (16 February 2023). "AIFF condoles the demise of Tulsidas Balaram". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  53. ↑ "SportMob – Best Indian football players of all time". SportMob.com. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  54. ↑ Chaudhuri, Arunava (2000). "National Award winning Footballers". indianfootball.de. IndianFootball. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  55. ↑ Roy, Gautam; Ball, Swapan (2007). "East Bengal Football Club – Famous Players". www.eastbengalfootballclub.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  56. ↑ "Host of celebrities to be get Bengal government awards Monday". Business Standard India. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  57. ↑ Ghoshal, Amoy (23 November 2016). "All time Indian XI". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

Bibliography

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