Vadodara: When the Indian hockey team won a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics on Thursday, PM Narendra Modi congratulated the players and said that they will bring back the golden age of hockey. Nearly 90 years ago, a Barodian didn’t just witness the golden era of Indian hockey but also inspired them to win a gold in the Olympics. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III , king of the erstwhile Baroda state, had travelled to Germany for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
“Maharaja was in the stadium’s pavilion when India and Germany squared off in the hockey finals. Major Dhyanchand was the captain of the team. During this game, Adolf Hitler too was present in the stadium,” said historian and art curator Chandrashekhar Patil.
“In the first half, the Indian team could score just one goal and Sayajirao noticed that the players were struggling against the crafty Germans. So, he decided to meet the players at half-time and find out the reason. Some players told him that they were struggling to play properly in shoes as they were used to playing bare-feet.
Sayajirao had given them shoes for playing in the finals,” Patil told TOI. “The king suggested that they remove their shoes and play their natural game. The team was a bit nervous as it was playing against the Germans on their home turf.
Sayajirao also gave a pep talk to Major Dhyanchand and the entire team that galvanised all the players,” Patil added. Dhyanchand scored three goals in the second half and India beat Germany 8-1 to.