Hyderabad: One of India’s legendary footballers Tulasidas Balaram is no more. He was born in Ammuguda in Secunderabad but after playing the major portion of his football career in Kolkata, he decided to continue to live in Kolkata after he retired from the sport. He did not get married and was living alone. He was looked after by a Bengali family who loved him dearly.
When he was a youngster playing in the football grounds of Hyderabad and Secunderabad he was discovered by the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim who fashioned his game and made him one of India’s most feared strikers. Balaram himself stated at a gathering in Hyderabad three years ago: “Rahim saab spotted me, trained me and he made me what I am today. Without his guidance, I would have been nothing. It was all due to his foresight.”
Balaram went on to represent India in two Olympic Games and was also a member of the Indian team which won the gold medal in the Asian Games in 1962. Incidentally, after that India never won the gold medal in the Asian Games.
Victor Amalraj, another renowned footballer from the twin cities knew him well. “Balaram anna often used to come to my house and was very friendly with my children. Whenever we discussed football I was struck by his deep understanding of the finer nuances of the sport. His guidance helped me to progress in my own football career. Balaram anna played for India with great distinction. He was India’s most outstanding player in those days along with P.K. Banerjee and Chuni Goswami,” said Amalraj who was grief stricken after hearing of Balaram’s passing away.
“When I was playing for the big three clubs in Kolkata, I used to run to him and seek his comments before and after every match. When
I used to play for East Bengal, I used to see him standing behind the goalpost and watching our practice almost every day. His career was affected by his ill health otherwise he could have continued to play for a longer duration,” said Amalraj.
Another famous Hyderabad player Shabbir Ali who captained and coached India in his heyday said that Balaram was the pride of the twin cities. “He was an excellent player who was among the best strikers in all of Asia. We all knew Balaram anna to be a marvelously gifted player whose talent and skill were fine-tuned by coach Rahim saab. At the Asian Games in 1962, Balaram scored one goal in the match against Japan and India won 2-0,” said Shabbir Ali.
“He was a very quiet person. Unlike many star players he never showed off, never tried any political games off the field and never even spoke much. We all had great respect for him. The only sad thing was that he did not get the Padma Shree which he richly deserved,” said Shabbir Ali.
According to experts who had seen Balaram in action, his ball distribution was beyond comparison. During his playing days in the East Bengal club in Kolkata, he finished as a second-highest goal scorer with 23 goals in 1959. In 1961, he was appointed captain and led the team admirably. It was one of his best seasons and the Kolkata crowds fell in love with him. But at a later stage,
his relationship with the East Bengal club soured and he felt hurt by the attitude of the club management.
Due to health problems, he ended his playing career when he was still young. However, he became a good coach and he taught his trainees what he had learned from his guru Rahim Sahab. He coached the BNR team and the Kolkata Mayor’s team. His death at the age of 87 has robbed Indian football of a rare gem. His name will live on in the hearts of football lovers all across India.
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