There are hardly any books on football in India. Novy Kapadia’s comprehensive work, Barefoot to Boots, narrates little-known stories revolving around the history of players, the administration and clubs. Bengali writer Moti Nandy’s novellas earned accolades for his ability to grip the reader with some enchanting sport lore. A tribute to Tulsidas Balaram in the form of a delightful biography should win the hearts of football lovers, who yearn for writing by Indians on the beautiful game.
In Tulsidas Balaram: The Boy, The Hero, The Tormented Footballer, Sudipta Biswas, a sports journalist based in Kolkata, captures the world of football when India boasted of some classy players. A random phone call to Balaram led Biswas on an unforgettable journey and the result is a 329-page throwback to India’s glorious years of football in the late 1950s-early ’60s. It was known as the golden era of Indian football and Balaram, a distinguished forward, was an integral part of it along with legends like P.K. Banerjee and Chuni Goswami.
In a simple and lucid style, Biswas relives some magical moments as he builds the momentum through interviews with Balaram’s contemporaries, and solid research.
