'You had to be very good to find a mention in the magazine'

Zafar Iqbal was part of the team which won the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

I am what I am because I played hockey. There was a lot of respect for hockey players and I learnt it from watching the game at packed stadiums. Later I played in front of packed venues.

I always looked forward to stepping on to the hockey field. It gave me a lot of happiness. I took pride in winning matches for the nation and I felt happier when those exploits would be written about in Sportstar. It was so inspiring to see your photographs published in Sportstar. You had to be very good to find a mention in Sportstar. There was no TV then and magazines would bring you detailed coverage along with the newspapers.

I am happy to note that Sportstar is 40 years old now. I wish the publishers of Sportstar the best.

(As told to Vijay Lokapally)