Keshav Dutt

Keshav Chandra Dutt,[1] also spelt as Keshav Datt[2] (29 December 1925 – 7 July 2021), was an Indian field hockey player and played as a halfback.[3] He was a part of the team that won gold medals at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.[4] He made 22 international appearances for India and scored two goals in his career. Keshav was the last surviving member of the Indian hockey team which participated at the 1948 London Olympic Games.[5] He was regarded as one of the finest Indian hockey centre half-backs.

Keshav Dutt
Personal information
Full name Keshav Chander Datt
Born (1925-12-29)29 December 1925
Lahore, British India
Died 7 July 2021(2021-07-07) (aged 95)
Kolkata, India
Playing position Halfback
Senior career
Years Team
1950 Calcutta Port Commissioners
1951–1960 Mohun Bagan
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1956 India 22 (2)
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing  India
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1948 LondonTeam
Gold medal – first place1952 HelsinkiTeam

Biography

He was born on 29 December 1925 in Lahore (which was then part of British India before the partition). He pursued his higher studies at the Government College University, Lahore.[5] He moved to Bombay and later settled in Kolkata in 1950 at a time when his birthplace Lahore (which later became part of Pakistan after it gained independence in 1947) endured post-independence riots in 1948.[6][7]

Career

He was part of the Indian team captained by Dhyan Chand which toured East Africa to play in a hockey tournament in 1947.[5] Dutt was also mentored by Dhyan Chand during his early playing days.

He made his maiden Olympic appearance representing India at the 1948 Summer Olympics and was part of the Indian squad which thrashed Great Britain 4–0 in the final to clinch gold.[8][9] He was the vice captain of the Indian team at the 1952 Summer Olympics where India secured gold medal in the final against the Netherlands with a comfortable 6–1 win.[10] He was also in the radar for the 1956 Summer Olympics but could not make it into the team due to his professional commitments with Brooke Bond.[5] It was revealed that his employer Brooke Bond did not grant him permission to participate at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.[11]

He played for Calcutta Port Commissioners in 1950 and then joined Mohun Bagan AC in 1951 after accepting the invitation from Jahar Ganguly who served as the then secretary of Mohun Bagan Hockey.[5] Dutt also captained the Mohun Bagan side from 1951 to 1953 and was also reappointed as captain for one season from 1957 to 1958. He played a key role during the 1952 Beighton Cup where Mohun Bagan emerged as winners for the first time in the tournament history. During his ten-year career with Mohun Bagan club, the club won a total of three Beighton Cups and six Calcutta Hockey League titles.[12] He also played badminton, representing Bengal at the national level.[6]

Honours

He received the prestigious Banglar Gourav award in 2013 from the State Government of Bengal.[13] He was conferred with the Mohun Bagan award in 2019 and became the first non footballer to receive the award.[14] In 2020, he received the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions in the field of hockey.[15]

He also received honorary mention in Dhyan Chand's autobiography Goal where Chand rated Dutt as one of the greatest half-backs during the post-independence years in India.[5]

Death

He died on 7 July 2021 at the age of 95 due to age-related ailments in Santoshpur, Kolkata.[16][17][18]

References
  1. Other sources spell his name Datt.
  2. "Two-time Olympic gold medalist Keshav Datt dies aged 95". ESPN. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. "Former Olympian Keshav Dutt slams IHF". planetfieldhockey.com. 1 September 2005. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. Sahni, Jaspreet (24 May 2021). "India's Olympic Firsts: Maiden medal as an 'independent' nation, a hockey gold in 1948 | Tokyo Olympics News". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. Sarangi, Y. B. (7 July 2021). "Olympic gold-winning hockey legend Keshav Datt dies". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. "Keshav Dutt: A legend, a crowd-puller and a winner | Kolkata News – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  7. "Keshav Datt: A life and career shaped by Partition". Hindustan Times. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  8. "Hockey at the 1948 London Summer Games: Men's Hockey | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. Sportstar, Team. "On this day: India bags first Olympic hockey gold post independence". Sportstar. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  10. "Hockey at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's Hockey | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  11. "Keshav Datt, 1948 and 1952 Olympic star, passes away". The Indian Express. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. "Olympic gold-winning hockey legend Keshav Datt dies". India Today. Press Trust of India. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  13. Nilesh Bhattacharya (8 July 2021). "Keshav Datt, a link to hockey's golden era, passes away | Off the field News – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  14. "Olympic Gold-medallist Keshav Dutt, Ex-India Football Skipper Prasun Banerjee to Receive Mohun Bagan Ratna". News18. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  15. Sarangi, Y. B. "Olympian Keshav Dutt to receive Hockey Bengal lifetime achievement award". Sportstar. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  16. Dutta, Koushik (7 July 2021). "প্রয়াত দু'বার অলিম্পিকসে সোনাজয়ী কেশব দত্ত, ভারত-চীন যুদ্ধের পর দান করেছিলেন মেডেল". Bangla Hunt (in Bengali). Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  17. "Keshav Datt Passes Away: Mamata Banarjee Offers Condolences To Indian Hockey Legend's Family | 🏆 LatestLY". LatestLY. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. Y.B.Sarangi. "Hockey Olympians remember Keshav Datt". Sportstar. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
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