I had the privilege of following the 1975 World Cup on AIR as there was no TV those days ( >Sport, “An afternoon tinged with nostalgia,” May 15 ). India was trailing by a goal against Malaysia in the semifinals and there were only three minutes left. Aslam Sher Khan was brought in and India was awarded a penalty corner. I was soon joined by two more friends and we were glued to the transistor, forgetting that we had an examination the next day. On the award of the penalty corner we were down on our knees and praying. When the commentator uttered the word “gooooal,” we screamed louder than him and woke up the colony. More joined our group and we sat through extra time, worried about a fading transistor battery. Harcharan then slammed the winning goal.
There was a downpour before the finals and the Bohomos, who are said to have the power to stop rain, were employed by the Malaysian government, but nature had the last laugh. India triumphed and won the World Cup. The picture brought back memories as Brigadier H.J.S. Chimni and Brig. Harcharan Singh were my instructors in the latter part of my career in the Army. My compliments to Hockey India for honouring our hockey heroes.
A.E. Charles,
Coimbatore
