Freedom run video: These are all the legends featured

The Freedom run video, which was one of the most popular slots in Doordarshan back in the 80s, featured several Indian athletes carrying the Olympic torch which was before the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The Freedom Run video is a very popular video that was aired in Doordarshan before the 1988 Seoul Olympics. (Image credit: Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jun 25, 2021 | 7 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

During the days of Doordarshan, several videos captured the imagination of billions of Indians. There was Mile Sur Mera Tumhara which still continues to be the epitome of India’s soul. Then there was Baje Sargam which showcased the depth and brilliance of India’s musicians. When it came to animation, India had made some baby steps during the 70s and the 80s. There was the Tree of Equality cartoon which became pathbreaking. In a few years, there would be the Ek Chidiya song which still evokes plenty of emotion in India.

But, in between all of that, there was one video that captured the hearts of many sporting fans in India in the 80s. The backdrop of the video was an inspiration from former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi. In 1987, a video was conceptualized in which India took pride in its national identity through sporting personalities. Titled the Freedom Torch Run, it featured a montage of several legendary Indian athletes carrying the Olympic torch through various parts of India. This was in the backdrop of India’s preparation for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Details of the video

The music was composed by Louis Banks. A popular theme has emerged in the modern era as to who are the athletes in the video. Here is a list of all the athletes who featured in a video that still evokes nostalgia among many sporting fans in the country.

Freedom Run List of Athletes

0.01 to 0.11 Krishnamachari Srikkanth: One of the most dazzling openers that we had in the Indian cricket team. Srikkanth was known for his aggressive batting and was in many ways, the first cool dude in the Indian set-up. Srikkanth’s running between the wickets was aggressive and his run on Marina beach was simply fantastic.

0.12 to 0.23 PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami: Two of India’s greatest ever footballers are present in the next video that is shot in front of the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. PK Banerjee played for India in 45 international matches. His crowning moment came in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics when India reached the semi-final. In the 1962 Asian Games, Banerjee was part of the side that won the gold medal.

Chuni Goswami, on the other hand, is a legendary figure in Indian football. Apparently, he had denied an offer to represent Tottenham Hotspur because he wanted to play for Mohun Bagan. Apart from football, Goswami was a brilliant cricketer but he chose football. In 30 international appearances, he scored nine goals. In cricket, Goswami led Bengal to two finals in the Ranji Trophy but both times, they lost to Mumbai.

Athletics makes first impression

0:24 to 0:35 Shiney Wilson and PT Usha: It was the turn of two of India’s greatest athletes. Shiny Wilson was India’s greatest 800m runner, being the national champion for 14 years. However, PT Usha’s brilliance in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics had propelled her to superstardom. The video was shot in a zoo with Usha’s synchronized running with the deers okayed in one take. In grandparent folklore, kids were told that Usha was as fleetfooted as the deers and that is what inspired them to take up running.

Other Legendary Athletes figure

0:36 to 0:42 Ramanathan Krishnan and son Ramesh Krishnan: Ramanathan Krishnan had put Indian Tennis on the world map with his stellar show in the 1960 and 1961 Wimbledon championships. He reached the semi-final on both occasions, going on to beat multiple time grand slam winner Roy Emerson once. His son, Ramesh Krishnan, also became a legend of Indian Tennis. Ramesh won the Junior titles in the French Open and Wimbledon. In the Davis Cup, it was under Ramesh that India reached the final in 1987 but they lost to Sweden. Ramesh also defeated a young Andre Agassi in 1986 and had the distinction of beating world number one Mats Wilander in 1989 in Australia.

0:43 to 0:56 Tiger Pataudi and Kapil Dev: Tiger Pataudi epitomized class during his captaincy tenure for India. The little girl running with Tiger is Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan. She insisted on running with her father and the video was passed like that. After Pataudi, Kapil Dev features carrying the torch. Kapil’s contributions to Indian cricket are massive, having led the team to the 1983 World Cup, 1985 Championship of cricket and a series win in England in 1986.

The legend of Milkha Singh and Jarnail Singh

0:57 to 1:06 Milkha Singh: At the age of 58, you could see the fitness Milkha Singh had. Entering the JLN stadium with the torch, Milkha was India’s greatest sportsman, missing out on a medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics. His dominance in Asia was unparalleled. Milkha Singh‘s death recently due to COVID-19 was a sad day in the history of India.

1:07 to 1:10 Jarnail Singh: Jarnail Singh was India’s greatest defenders in football. It was in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta where he showed his mettle. With anti-India feeling running high, the Indian side was pelted with stones and abuses whenever they stepped out. Jarnail Singh channeled all that and ensured India won the football gold in the Asian Games.

More inspirational Athletes

1:11 to 1:20 Nirupama Mankad, Taranath Shenoy, Michael Ferreira, Balbir Singh: Nirupama Mankad created history when she became the first Indian woman in the modern era to play at a main draw of a Grand Slam. She had won the Arjuna Award in 1980.

Inspirational story of Taranath Shenoy

The next individual who runs with the torch is swimmer Taranath Shenoy. Shenoy was born deaf and his vision was impaired to the level of legal blindness at birth. He took to swimming at an early age and attempted to swim across the English Channel at the age of 23 but was denied permission as he was underweight and had high blood pressure. In his first attempt, Shenoy was stung by a jellyfish and his leg was immobilized. His brother, Dr Sharad Shenoy, conducted surgery and monitored his brother’s recovery. However, through sheer determination, Shenoy became the winner of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, having successfully completed the English Channel, Catalina Channel and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990.

Shenoy hands the torch over to Michael Ferreira, considered one of the greatest billiards player from India. Ferreira represented India in the World Amateur Billiards Championship (WABC) held in New Zealand in 1964, where he progressed to the semi-finals. In 1977, he won his first World Amateur Billiards Champion title and followed it up with the World Open Billiards Championship title in the same year. He has two other WABC titles. In 1978 he became the first amateur to break the barrier of 1,000 points, in the billiards national championships, and created a new amateur world record by scoring 1,149 points. In 1981, he won his second amateur Billiards title.

The next individual in the video is Balbir Singh, who was part of the India hockey teams that won the Asian Games Gold in 1966 and the Olympic Bronze in 1968. He scored three goals in the 1968 Olympics. Balbir retired in 1970 due to knee injuries.

The video reaches the crescendo

1.21 to 1:35 Mervyn Fernandes: Mervyn Fernandes was one of the players who helped India win the gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. That would be the last time India would win any medal in hockey. His achievements finally got recognition from the parent hockey body of Mumbai in 2013. Despite being one of the senior hockey players, having appeared in three Olympics in 1980, 1984 and 1988, Fernandes has become a member of the Mumbai Hockey Association only recently.

1:36 to 1:51 Sunil Gavaskar, Gulam Abbas Moontasir and Adile Sumariwala: Sunil Gavaskar is the greatest batsman that came out of India. He became the first batsman to reach 10,000 runs and had 13 centuries against the almighty West Indies team in that era. As Gavaskar gets drenched in the rain, the focus shifts to the next person.

Basketball legend in video

Gulam Abbas Moontasir represented India in the quadrangular in Colombo in 1964 and captained the Indian side in the Asian Basketball Championship held in Bangkok in 1969 and 1975. Moontasir was also a member of the Indian team that participated in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok. He was chosen for the Asian All-Star team in 1970. By the age of 22, Moontasir had become the top basketball athletes in the country. On international tours, he learned of different styles of play. He is the only Indian to have been awarded the Arjuna award for Basketball in 1970. He has also written a book called Principles of Basketball.

As Moontasir exits the tunnel, Adile Sumariwala emerges. Sumariwala had set the men’s 200m inter-college record, at a mere 22.2 seconds and held it for 35 years. He participated in the Moscow Olympics where he finished seventh in round one. Sumariwala was elected as the President of the Athletics Federation of India but he is also an entrepreneur.

The end of the video

1:52 to 2:11 EAS Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar, S Venkataraghavan, and Prakash Padukone: The famed trio of spinners that gave Indian cricket glory. Prasanna was the first superstar. Chandrashekhar was impacted by polio during his birth but that did not stop him from becoming the best spinner ever from India. His bowling helped India to wins in England and Australia in the 70s. Venkat was the ideal foil for the trio which also featured Bishan Singh Bedi.

The video ends with badminton superstar Prakash Padukone. He was ranked World No. 1 in 1980; the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. He was awarded the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982 by the Government of India. Padukone’s badminton exploits at that time were path-breaking.