 Gurmit
Singh Kular was good enough to play inside right for India in
an attacking trio which featured the legendary Dhyan Chand at
centre forward and his younger brother Roop Singh at inside
left.
Yet
Gurmit, whose skills flourished during the golden age of Indian
hockey, played in only one  Olympiad
when his country successfully defended its title in Los Angeles
four years after taking the hockey world by storm in Amsterdam in
1928. But his contribution in Los Angeles was by no means inconsiderable.
He
scored three, with Roop Singh getting the same number and Dhyan
Chand netting four times in India's 11 - 1 victory over Japan in
their opening match in Los Angeles.
He
followed up by scoring five in India's 24 - 1 drubbing of the USA,
with Roop Singh leading the way with ten and Dhyan Chand collecting
eight. Eric Penninger, the joint captain of the 1928 team, rounded
off the scoring with his only goal.
 Gurmit,
who passed away in the Punjab on February 4, (1992) aged 84,
will long be remembered in his native country. He was the only
Sikh in that 1932 team and the first player from Sansarpur,
the tiny village on the outskirts of Jalandhar, which later
became a nursery for stars, to don the Indian colours.
Debut
In '32
Gurmit
played for Punjab University, Lahore, from 1927 until 1932 and
made his debut in the Inter-Provincial Tournament for Punjab
in 1932. He also played for the Indian Army from 1934 - 6 and
again in 1940.
He
was studying in his final year at agricultural college at Lyallpur,
now remamed Faisalabad,
when selected for the Los Angeles team after a dazzling display
for Punjab in the Inter-Provincial Tournament in Calcutta -- an
event treated as the final trial for the Olympics.
The
selected squad of 16 players did not, of course, merely go to the
Olympics. They embarked on a stamina-sapping seven month tour, playing
matches at every port of call and doing a remarkable job of publicising
the game of hockey.
On
their triumphant return from Los Angeles the Olympic Champions returned
home for yet another marathon tour around their own country, playing
37 matches. This astonishing team scored 338 goals and conceded
a mere 34.
 Gurmit
lived up to his growing reputation by scoring 55 goals, finishing
behind only Roop Singh and Dhyan Chand -- the latter's brilliance,
still remembered by everyone who ever saw him play, earning
him no fewer than 133 mentions on the scoresheet.
Undying
Enthusiasm
Even
in his eighties, Gurmit's enthusiasm for the game he had graced
with such distinction had not waned and he still enjoyed visits
to his native village to pass on the finer points to young boys
just taking up hockey.
One
of the last public appearances of the star of yesteryear was,
fittingly enough, at the wedding of Pargat Singh, the present
Indian captain.
Hockey
has not produced too many true stars, Gurmit Singh Kular was certainly
one of those who will never be forgotten.
(From
an article by Sandeep Singh of India, titled Echoes From The Golden
Age Of Indian Hockey, published in World Hockey, April 1992)
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