NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) mourned the demise of the legendary former India forward Tulsidas Balaram, who passed away in Kolkata on Thursday. A prominent member of the golden generation of Indian football in the 1950 and 1960s, Balaram, who lived in Uttarpara, West Bengal, died in a city hospital in Kolkata. He was 85.
As a mark of respect for Balaram, who played a huge role behind India's historic gold medal triumph in the 1962 Asian Games and several other memorable victories at the international level, the AIFF has announced a three-day mourning period. While the federation will fly its flag at half-mast during this period, a one-minute silence will be observed before the start of all competitive matches in India.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said in his condolence message, "He was a blessed child of the football god. I am sure Balaram-da has returned to him, leaving us mourning for one of the most gifted players in Indian Football history. He truly was from a golden generation of Indian Football. He was one of the best we had ever seen."
Tulsidas Balaram, the 1962 Asian Games gold medallist, had also represented India in other prestigious tournaments like 1956 and 1960 Olympics, the 1958 Asian Games, the 1959 Merdeka Cup and much more. At the domestic level, Balaram was a four-time Santosh Trophy champion with Hyderabad (1956) and with Bengal (1958, 1959, 1962). On the last of these occasions, he had also captained Bengal to a victory. Balaram had also made his name in the Red and Gold threads of East Bengal, where he won a plethora of trophies. (IANS)
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