Unsung Heroes 🔥🔥 #hockey #indianhockey #sports #indiansports

Shankar Laxman, also known as the Rock of Gibraltar thanks to his exceptional goalkeeping skills, represented India in 3 straight Olympic hockey finals - 1956, 1960 and 1964, helping the country win 2 golds and 1 silver medal.
He was the first goalkeeper ever to captain an international hockey team, and the led the country to a gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games. Shankar Laxman was even awarded the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri by the Indian government. Sadly, that was the extent of the government and authorities recognising the achievements of this champion.
After he retired from the Indian Army as Honorary Captain in 1979, Shankar Laxman lived a life of extreme poverty. He struggled to make ends meet, and when he was diagnosed with gangrene, the legendary hockey star did not even have the means to get the treatment he needed.
Despite several appeals to the authorities and even the government, Shankar Laxman received no help apart from a meagre Rs. 25,000 from the Madhya Pradesh government.
The "Rock of Gibraltar", who had stood firm in goal and taken independent India to several glorious moments, lost this battle to gangrene as India failed to support the champion in return.

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