Legendary Indian footballer, Tulsidas Balaram dies
Tulsidas Balaram, one of the finest footballers and a member of the golden era of Indian football (1951-1962), passed away aged 87. The cause of death was multiple organ failures in Kolkata on Thursday. He was 87. Last month, he was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Kolkata, his adopted home since 1957, due to low dietary intake and abdominal distention. Since his condition deteriorated, he was in ICU. In 2021, he had a blood clot removed from his brain.
Tulsidas Balaram played in two Olympics in 1956 and 1960. He reached the prime of Asian football when India, under the guidance of legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim, won the Asian Games gold in Jakarta, beating South Korea 2-1 in 1962.
In the Rome Olympics, Tulsidas Balaram had the best moment of his international football career, he scored twice against Hungary and Peru.
“I still vividly remember that match. Balaram scored the goal after his dazzling dash on the left flank. He was unstoppable. With the ball glued to his right foot, he became hungrier for the goal. He dribbled past all the dirty tackles posed to stop him and scored the solitary goal for East Bengal. We were stunned to see a frail boy scoring with sheer pace and skill. It was a pure example of Balaram’s ability. He was a match-winner,” remembered G.C. Das, a former journalist with World Soccer.
