The Indian Hockey team put on an exhibition of dominance in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and it was a remarkable experience considering that they were on the cusp of pulling out.
Follow Us
The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics was held in rather troubling circumstances. This was three years after the Great Depression of 1929. The world economy was ruined by the disaster and they had still not recovered from it. Many nations were pulling out of the Olympics as they could not muster the required finances. India was one of the nations that were considering pulling out of the tournament. The 1928 gold medalists were in danger of not even making it to the next edition.
How would the money be raised? That was the question plaguing the Indian Hockey Federation. They decided to play exhibition matches and they raised money through gate receipts. The Indian hockey team played all across the country in major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Chennai. The Indian hockey federation also reached out to royal families, governors. In addition, they were successful in acquiring a loan. The team was now ready to embark on a 42-day ship journey to San Francisco.
There was a fair section of groupism in the Indian team. There were the Indians and Anglo Indians. The year 1932 was a pivotal moment in Indian history. Mahatma Gandhi began a hunger strike in protest of the British government’s decision to separate the electoral vote by caste. The mood against the British had turned. This reflected even in the team. Lal Singh Bokhari was named the captain ahead of Eric Pinniger.
During the 42-day journey, the Indian team were put in the section of the tourists’ berth in the ship. The manager Guru Dutt Sondhi did not even interact with them once. When the Indian team reached Los Angeles, the golden key was presented to Bokhari as a custom. But, Sondhi had objected to it as he believed he should have gotten it. In the end, it was the timely intervention of IHF president AM Hayman that solved the crisis.
There was a greater crisis in the team just before the games. The official team all wore turbans as part of the attire. But, Arthur Hind, the reserve goalkeeper, did not wear a turban. Assistant manager Pankaj Gupta gave a strict warning. If he did not adhere to the dress code, he would have to pack his bags and go home. The issue was sorted out and the Indian team set out on the task of replicating their 1928 glory.
The 1932 field hockey tournament saw only three teams participate. Thus, they were assured of a medal even before the start. Japan and the USA were the two teams in addition to India who were there in the Los Angeles games. There were no league games. There was a straight knock-out event, with each team playing each other.
In the first match against Japan, Dhyan Chand showed his wizardry along with his brother Roop Singh. Dhyan Chand scored four goals and Roop Singh three in India’s 11-1 demolition of Japan. However, the Japanese bounced back with a 9-2 thrashing of the USA. In the last league game, many records would be broken. The Indian team put on a great exhibition of skill which left many flabbergasted.
In the final match against the USA, Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh combined to tear the USA hockey team to shreds. Roop Singh scored 10 goals and Dhyan Chand managed eight. Eric Pinniger scored a goal while Gurmit Singh Kullar scored five goals. The 18 goals by Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh showed their potency. The USA scored one goal with William Boddington on the score sheets. But, the final scoreline of 24-1 was indicative of the dominance of the Indian team.
In just two games, India had scored 35 goals and conceded just two. Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh scored 12 and 13 goals respectively. It was a stunning display by India as they clinched their second consecutive gold medal in hockey.
In a Los Angeles newspaper write-up, they praised the Indian team and they voted the India hockey team’s prowess as ‘one of the most outstanding exhibitions of skill in any sport’. “All the colour, glamour and pageantry of Rudyard Kipling’s India might well have found its incarnation in the personnel of the Indian team which is to represent the land of Mahatma Gandhi. So agile are the members of the team that they can run the full length of the hockey field, juggling a small wooden ball with the flat of a hockey stick,” the paper had written.
The success and dominance of the Indian hockey team in 1932 was just an apt summation of what they were capable of. This was the start of a golden period in hockey that lasted for close to 32 years.
