(The writer is a former Indian Civil Servant and presently a corporate management consultant ,a senior tax advisor, and advisor deemed universities-civil services coaching classes)
"I feel very proud today at the way India trounced France 7-1 to qualify for the Olympics at London this year. At last India is on the way to regain the lost glory of hockey at the Olympics".
Leslie Claudius, one of India's greatest hockey players at the Olympics, joint highest individual medalist by an Indian-3 golds and a silver along with fellow Olympian Udham Singh.
A few weeks back, even as Leslie Claudius celebrated his 85th birthday, India gave him a fitting present by qualifying for the Olympics after gap of 8 years, the joy of which was expressed by the former Indian Olympic hockey team captain in the lines quoted at the beginning of this article. The Olympic hosts went a step further and in a rare honour for India's greatest Olympian, long forgotten in his own country and home land, London named Bushey Station on the city's famous metro after Leslie Claudius, one of only 2 Indians to be honored and among 360 other famous Olympians across the world. Now with the Olympics under way, it is worth recollecting the achievements of one of India's greatest sportsmen. Indian have creditable achievements at the Olympics, Norman Pritchard with 2 silvers prior to independents, Leander Paes with India's Sole medal at the Sydney Olympics, Neville D' Souza who was India's greatest footballer in 1956 Melbourne Olympics and almost won for India a near bronze medal finish, numerous other hockey players but clearly the greatest among them all is clearly Leslie Walter Claudius, a living legend living anonymously in the bye-lanes of an old Anglo Indian Colony in Calcutta.
Leslie Claudius was born in Bilaspur in erstwhile Madhya Bharat province (now Madhya Bharat province (now Madhya Pradesh) to a simple middle class Anglo Indian family. At the age of 18 he joined the Bengal Nagpur Railways at Kolkata as part of their football team. Like my famed St. Mary's SSC Mazagaon Mumbai colleague Somaya Manepanda, who twice captained Indian hockey team in recent years, he too switched from football to hockey. Leslie was part of the 1948 Gold winning hockey team at London. His versatile skills led many experts to remark that Leslie would originally be part of any world class team, the other 10 players would have to go through tough selection process. In 1949 he joined my parent department Indian Customs and continued playing and even coaching the customs team which did very well at all national level competitions. He won two more Olympic golds in the then golden hockey era at Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956 and a silver at Rome in 1960 where in dramatic last moments India lost the final to Pakistan. He married Vilia in 1951, a happy marriage with four sons. He lost his son Robert who also played hockey and represented India at International level in the year 1978. Tragically His Olympic medals were stolen by some workers doing up his modest house in Calcutta. A gentlemen to the core, the large hearted Leslie refused to lodge a complaint or even sit and grudge the losses with a Christ like quote " Let the workers keep the medals, perhaps their need is greater than mine". An officer known for his impeccable integrity and honesty, he retired as an Assistant Commissioner from the Customs Department in 1984. Since then livind within meager savings with a host of health ailments, he has been struggling in his twilight years, and a few years back the West Bengal Government footed his medical bill worth a lakh of rupees as a humanitarian gesture. The man who won India three Olympic golds and a silver- the best ever performance by an Indian at the Olympics along with another hockey player Udham Singh.- The brave Olympian is ever his smiling self, ever enthusiastic about India's prospects at the Olympics at this age of 85. I will be writing to Derek O' Brien, MP and Trinamool Congress spokesperson to honor the greatest achiever of his Anglo Indian community in his lifetime and in Calcutta where his party is in power. I will be writing to Member (Personnel) of Central Board of Central Excise and Customs also to honor the greatest sportsperson of our department likewise, and also sanction some amount from the welfare fund committed to such officers who have done the country and the department proud. The welfare fund arises from portion of amount realized from sale proceeds of confiscated gold and silver smuggled across the seas, and is meant for causes such as these. A hockey stadium in Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh or anywhere in India should be named after this great Olympian living legend. Our Christian educational institutions and the Church should acknowledge such great Christian heroes and give our youth much better role models than Pit-Bulls and Lady Gagas.
Meanwhile here's enjoying the metro ride at the station named after Leslie Claudius, and here's wishing Leslie's dream of a repeat of India's Olympic hockey triumph in 1948 of which he was a star player being repeated this year in 2012 - Cheers and all the best to the entire Indian contingent at the London Olympics .let the soothing music of Jana Gana Mana be heard often at the award ceremonies.Jai Hind!
