India is entering its 75th year of Independence on 15th August, 2021. We pay gigantic and grateful homage to all those who suffered and made sacrifices for India’s freedom. The rule of law and democracy has succeeded. The idea of engaging in sports to promote peace and calm in the continent was propounded by India during the London Olympics in 1948, just a year after independence.
It was in London, the Indian national anthem transmitted across Great Britain and eventually worldwide. The British were given credit for the friendly gesture that generally prevailed in 1948, which is often compared favorably to Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 .
The 1948 London Olympic Games might very well be remembered with the simple fact that they were held so soon after the destruction and turmoil of World War II (1939-1945).
Though, even India tricolor went up flag Pole after India outplayed host Great Britain 4-0 in the hockey crucial final. Hockey gold in London was a cherishing movement for Indian sports to settle the identity. The Great Britain hockey team did not participate in the Olympics till 1948, by that time India had got independence. (Hockey may have been brought to India by British Servicemen in the 19th Century)
India hockey team was the hockey powerhouse winning six consecutive gold medals between 1928-1956). In London, the 1948 hockey victory became a source of devoted nationalist celebration of the Indian public. After the thumping win, Viceroy Lord Irwin sent a telegram of the team manager B. Rosser. Indian High Commissioner, V.K. Krishna Menon, free India’s first High Commissioner in London, came running to congratulate the Indian team. The victory celebrations continued for many days.
Post–Independence has been notable for Indian sports from the incredible success of the Indian hockey team to raise the level of athletics, cricket, chess, boxing, badminton, bolf, billiards and snooker, shooting, weightlifting, wrestling, etc. September 19, 2000 is a historic day not just for India weightlifting but also for Indian sports when Karnam Malleswari (69kg) became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. Mirabai Chanu made history for India on the opening day of the Tokyo Olympic 2021. Chanu is now only the second weightlifter from India to win an Olympic silver medal after Karnam Malleshwari won bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games.
On August 11, 2008, an unprecedented pride filled the heart of India around the world upon hearing Jan Gana Mana in Beijing, China. Later Neeraj Chopra, an Army man from Panipat (Haryana), post-independence era won second individual gold at the Olympic Games 2020 (deferred to 2021), Tokyo. India was upbeat after winning medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze). This was India’s best performance in Olympic Games 2021, Tokyo, and finished 42 in overall medal tally.
Flag bearer carries the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the summer and winter Olympic Games. Purna Banerjee (Athletes 1920); Lal Shah Bukhari (Hockey 1932); and Major Dhyan Chand were the Indian flag bearers in the pre-independence Olympic Games.
Field hockey player late Balbir Singh Dosanjh is the only athlete who has given the honor on more than two occasions (1952 and 1956) in the summer Olympics. The great men’s hockey team rewrote hockey history by winning an Olympic medal after four decades in a play-off match at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 .
Summer Olympic, Barcelona, Shiny K. Wilson (Nee Abraham-Arjuna Awardeen-1984) became the first woman to carry the flag of India at the Olympics. The flag bearers Manpreet Singh (Indian hockey team captain) and 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist, Mary Kom both led the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympic 2020 opening ceremony. The first female flag bearer at the Winter Olympics was Neha Ahuja at the 2006 winter Olympic Turin (Italy). No doubt hit by COVID -19, Olympics shifted to 2021 but it was a great triumph of human management and spirit of sportsperson over adversity.
(Writer is a former Associate Prof. University of Delhi, Consultant Limca Book of Records)