Keshav Datt, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in hockey, died on Wednesday due to age-related problems, bringing an end to a magnificent period in the sport.
Datt died at the age of 95, and is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter, all of whom live in other countries. The former centre halfback died in his home in Santoshpur, Kolkata, at 12.30 a.m., where he was living alone.
He was part India’s historic feat at the 1948 Olympics where they beat home team Britain 4-0 at the Wembley Stadium in London to win the first gold post Independence.
Before the 1948 Olympics, Datt had toured East Africa under the leadership of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand in 1947.
Born on December 29, 1925 in Lahore, Datt was also part of the Indian team at 1952 Helsinki Games, where they beat Netherlands 6-1 in the summit clash to become the Olympic champions for the fifth consecutive time.
As a hockey player, Calcutta Port Commissioners was Datt’s first port of call. Famous Bengali film actor Jahar Ganguly, then hockey secretary of Mohun Bagan, took him to the green-and-maroons.
At Mohun Bagan, Datt won the Calcutta League six times and the Beighton Cup thrice. He was widely regarded as one of the finest half-backs in Indian hockey.
Mohun Bagan conferred him with the Mohun Bagan Ratna award in 2019.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee took to twitter to condol the demise.
