Legendary footballer Tulsidas Balaram passed away on Thursday afternoon. He was the last pole of the holy trident of Indian football, his name spelt in the same breath with Chuni Goswami and Pradip Kumar (PK) Banerjee.
Footballers of his generation mourned his death, saying he was ‘the greatest India has ever produced”.
Olympian S.H. Hamid, a former striker and member of India’s 1960 Rome Olympics squad, was shocked by the news of Balaram’s demise and said, “Balaram had superb control, on both feet, and was an excellent dribbler and schemer. He was a key component in Rahim’s great team.
“His greatest quality was his ability to adapt. Not many outstation players were successful in building a career in Calcutta, but Balaram, who was from Secunderabad, did that with ease with East Bengal.”
Recalling a moment of Balaram’s brilliance in international football, the 82-year-old former Caltex player said, “In the 1960 Rome Olympics, you would not believe me now when I say that the famous Hungary players were tearing apart his shirt after failing to check him. They won the match, but Balaram won hearts, by scoring a goal and ripping apart their defence with waves of attack from the left flank.”
Sukumar Samajpati, former India international, was part of the 1961 East Bengal team when Balaram, the captain, brought an end to the club’s Calcutta League title drought, winning the prestigious league for the first time since 1952. Balaram scored 23 goals in 16 matches that season and, rightfully, won the Golden Boot for being adjudged the ‘Best Footballer of the Year’ by the Veterans’ Football Club.
“I am shocked to hear about his passing. He was the greatest footballer India has ever produced. I am saying this keeping all the Indian footballers of the past and present generations in mind, including PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami,” stressed Samajpati.
“He was a versatile player. An inside forward, he traded in both feet and had excellent dribbling, dodges, and tremendous ball control. He had the ability to play in different positions and used to often changed his position mid-game. His footballing sense was brilliant. Despite possessing all these precious qualities, he never showed off. He was a perfect teammate, who worked in silence. He would create the attack and let others engage in the game by passing and retrieving the ball,” he added.
Olympian Arun Ghosh, another famed teammate of Balaram at East Bengal and India, during the 1960 Olympics and 1962 Asian Games, said, “I always felt it was my good luck that I had not had to play against Balaram. His passing and dribbling were engrossing. He used to come down to the defence to help the defenders and often form the attack.”
In a duel against Jarnail Singh, arguably India’s greatest defender, in the 1961 Calcutta derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, Balaram weaved magic. 18 minutes into the game, Balaram, retrieving the ball from Kempaiah at the middle of the pitch, dashed away to penetrate the Mohun Bagan box and came face-to-face with Jarnail.
Narrating the passage of play which had led to the goal, late Chuni Goswami had once said, “Jarnail was at his best. He was a robust defender, yet he had a problem against genuine ball players. Balaram dragged him almost for 15 yards on the left, then outwitted him with an inside dodge and scored. Pure beauty! Well, this is no way to belittle Jarnail but Balaram’s class was absolute.”
Late Pradip Kumar Banerjee, meanwhile, in an analysis of Balaram’s playing style in his autobiography, Beyond 90 Minutes, wrote, “Balaram was like oxygen in the air. His passing and distribution sense was unparalleled. He could dribble and take shots with both feet. He was a versatile player and could tackle if required.”
Talking about the never-ending comparison between two great inside forwards of Indian football - Chuni and Balaram - the former player turned coach, PK, had once offered his wise opinion, “They are two sides of football, effectiveness and aestheticism. Effectiveness is a vital part of the game, but without aestheticism, the game cannot attract people. Many people told me if we had two Balarams, our team would have been undefeatable. But if I had one Balaram, I would always have looked for a Chuni or vice versa because the game cannot survive on effectiveness or aestheticism alone. All these things made them the most successful pair of Indian football.”
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