Ajay Devgn mourns demise of legendary footballer Tulsidas Balram

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 17 (ANI): Actor Ajay Devgn mourned the demise of legendary former India forward Tulsidas Balaram, who passed away in Kolkata on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

Taking to Twitter, actor Ajay Devgn shared a picture and wrote, “RIP Balaram Sir. Team Maidaan and I pay homage to your memory. Shanti.”

RIP Balaram Sir. Team Maidaan and I pay homage to your memory.
🕉️ Shanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/SQtjZpiMnN

— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) February 16, 2023

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 (All India Football Federation) 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.

With this, the Indian Football has now lost one of the few remaining members of the 1962 Asian Games Indian team, who took the continent by storm by defeating South Korea 2-1 in the final played at Jakarta.

Balaram played 36 matches for the nation, scoring 10 goals in the process before his career came to an abrupt end because of illness.

He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1962. After retiring from active football, he remained involved in the game, serving as a National Selector and Talent Spotter for the AIFF.

Born on October 4, 1937, Balaram started his career in Hyderabad, then travelled to Kolkata in 1957 and joined East Bengal.

For the next five seasons, he was the darling of the crowd, one of the biggest stars in Indian football. In 1963, he joined the Indian Railways. The same year, the curtain abruptly ended his roaring career.