Hockey Player
Today, "Marang Gomke" Jaipal Singh Munda is remembered primarily for his able stewardship of 'Adivasi Mahasabha' and then of 'Jharkhand Party' which spearheaded the movement for a separate tribal majority state of Jharkhand and for his active contribution to the cause of tribes of India as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Very few, however, know that Jaipal Singh was one of the world's finest field hockey player of the period.
Jaipal Singh Munda was born on 3 January 1903 in remote Tapkara village of what was then Khunti Sub-division of the then District of Ranchi in the state of Bihar (now Jharkhand),India. Majority of the inhabitants of Tapkara village are from 'Munda' tribe. Jaipal Singh too was from a Munda family that had embraced Christianity. After initial schooling at the village church school, Jaipal Singh shifted to St.Paul's School, Ranchi run by the Christian Missionaries of the SPG Mission of the Church of England. A keen and gifted field hockey player, Jaipal Singh was a brilliant student and exhibited exceptional leadership qualities from a very young age, which was noticed by the missionaries, who took him to England for higher studies at the University of Oxford. Jaipal Singh was a member of the Oxford University Hockey Team. The hallmark of his game as a deep defender were his clean tackling, sensible gameplay and well directed hard hits. He was the most versatile player in the Oxford University Hockey Team. His contribution to the University Hockey Team was recognised and he became the first Indian student to be conferred "Oxford Blue" in Hockey.
In 1928, while he was in England, Jaipal Singh was asked to captain the Indian Hockey Team for the Amsterdam Olympics, 1928. Under Jaipal Singh's captaincy the Indian team played 17 matches in the League Stage of which 16 were won and one drawn. Due,however, to an unfortunate incident of tiff with the English Team Manager A.B.Rossier, Jaipal Singh left the Team after League phase and therefore could not play in the games in the knockout stage. In the final, the Indian Team defeated Holland by 3-0.
On returning to India, Jaipal Singh was associated with Mohan Bagan Club of Calcutta, where he started the Hockey Team of the Club in 1929. He led its hockey team in various tournaments. After retirement from active hockey, Jaipal Singh served as Secretary of Bengal Hockey Association and as a member of Indian Sports Council.
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Famous quotes containing the word player:
“The chess-board is the world; the pieces are the phenomena of the universe; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.”
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