Munshi's brother to attend 50th anniv of victory in 1975 Hockey World Cup

It's a moment of pride for Satta Satpal, the brother of hockey Olympian Mohinder Singh Munshi from Nangal Ambian village, who played in the Indian team that won the 1975 Hockey World Cup.

Hockey India is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the win that India had registered in 1975 and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had honoured the team.

The event will be held in New Delhi. But emotions are high for Satpal as his brother, who was an extraordinary player, died very young in 1977 when he was just 24. "Getting invited by Hockey India is such a nice feeling but the loss cannot be forgotten," he said.

His father Munshi Ram was a peon at Doaba Khalsa Senior Secondary School and Mohinder Munshi used to study there. It was at this school ground where Munshi’s journey in the field of hockey started and then there was no stopping. In 1970, he got posted in the Punjab Police.

Mohinder Munshi then played and won medals in Asian Games, the 1975 World Championship that was held in Malaysia and the 1976 Olympics.

His brother, admirers and other hockey stalwarts are making sure his legacy is kept alive.

Satpal Singh, Munshi’s younger brother, along with hockey doyens — Olympian and Dhyan Chand Award recipient Davinder Singh Garcha and international player Daljit Singh — has been organising Olympian Mohinder Singh Munshi Hockey Tournament every year in December for the past 24 years.

Garcha had earlier told The Tribune, “The motive is to produce more Munshis. We want the younger generation to know and learn about the great man and player that he was. I have played with him. He was my senior. The nation lost one of its great players very early on. He had a lot of potential.”

The winning team is awarded a prize money of Rs 1 lakh, while the teams finishing second and third pocket Rs 51,000 and Rs 31,000, respectively.

Now 65, Satpal Singh was barely 17 when his brother died. He shared the fondest memory of him, “His strength was always unbeatable. He was a man with a big heart. When he would get a diet from the department, he would give it to other needy people,” Satpal said.

Amarjit Singh Sidhu, a hockey player who is one of the organisers of the tournament, said he was 7-8 years younger to Mohinder Munshi. "I also studied in the same school he did and would often watch him play. He was famously known as 'Sure shot' because he never missed any goal," he said.