One bright, shining moment
But in 1966, Indian hockey was still a power to reckon with. That year, at the Asian Games in Bangkok, Laxman was appointed captain of the team. ”I told Ashwini Kumar of the IHF that, as such, I had no desire to become captain, but since the IHF had appointed me, I would like a few conditions to be observed. One was that there should be strict discipline in the team and any breach of discipline should be strictly dealt with. To me, discipline is the prime difference between a winning combination and a losing one. Even a mediocre team which is disciplined and co-ordinated can stage an upset or two. Second, once the team is on the ground, all players shall be their own captains.”
This policy payed off. Under Laxman, India achieved the rare honour of winning the hockey gold at the Asiad for the first time, in 1966, beating Pakistan in the final.
Laxman made his last tour of Europe in 1967. Though he was still the best custodian of the Indian goal and in good shape physically, he decided to call it a day. When he retired from competitive hockey, Laxman had attained the rank of subedar in the army. When he retired from the army in 1979, he was a captain.
In recognition of his services of the game the Arjuna Award was conferred on him in 1964 and the Padma Shri in 1967. He was also awarded the Yeshwant Singh Trophy by the army and three international hockey diplomas in 1956, 1964 and 1966.
The army authorities helped him to set up a shop in Mhow, his hometown, where he lived now. But running a shop was not an occupation he found congenial, so he gave it up and today leads a quiet, contented life. ”I go for walks in the morning and play tennis in the evening to keep myself fit,” he says. ”I also love helping youngsters improve their game-giving them tips to help them play better. I am also a member of various sports committees and am appalled at the poor standards and facilities that prevail.”
Which brings us to the million-dollar question: is there any way India can regain her eminence in the world of hockey?
Yes, says the veteran hockey player, ”but it won’t be a cakewalk. We have to start at the grass-roots level, popularise the game, search for budding talent, then ensure proper coaching and guidance. Second, we must revert to our old style of 5-3-2-1 instead of the present 4-4-2-1. The latter set-up is effective only when a half can also function as a forward but our players do not have that much stamina. So, in our case, it becomes a defensive pattern aimed at drawing the game, whereas the motive must be to attack, score and win. All this will take time and patience. But the resurrection of our so-called national game is definitely a worthy cause.”
Wouldn’t the country benefit by using the services of the two-times Olympic gold medalist instead of pensioning him off? Laxman had received two lucrative offers to coach at Narsinghpur and Bhilai, but he turned them both down. After being away from his family for such long stretches of time, he would now like to be with them more. One might expect life in retirement to be pretty tame for a man who has stood thrice on the winner’s podium in the Olympics and Asian Games, the approving roars of the crowd ringing in his ears. But as he sits in his room with photographs and citations lining the walls, his calm, composed demeanor denotes a man at peace with himself, content at a job done and done supremely well.