The Autobiography of Balbir Singh (Senior)
By Samuel Banerjee, Vikas Publishers, 1977
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Heavenly Blessings |
We had a common prayer room for all the probables. It
contained the Gita, the Granth Sahib, the Koran and the Bible.
We had pictures of Durga, Krishna, Guru Nanak, Shiva and the Cross. The boys bowed each time they passed by the prayer room. In Kuala Lumpur, on a Sunday, our team of 20 visited a church. On a Friday, we took Aslam to the mosque for his Namaz. |
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uring the
training camp at Chandigarh, we had about 40 probables from different states,
different creeds and different faiths. The only things they had in common were
hockey and God.
We had a common prayer room for all the probables. It contained the Gita, the Granth Sahib, the Koran, the Bible and various objects of reverence that the boys liked to have around. We had pictures of Durga Ma, Lord Krishna, Guru Nanak, Shiva and a symbol of the Cross. The boys used to bow reverentially each time they passed by the prayer room.
In Kuala Lumpur, on a Sunday afternoon, our team of 20 trooped together and visited a church to pray together. On a Friday morning, Aslam Sher Khan expressed a desire to visit the mosque for his Namaz. Coach Gurcharan Singh Bodhi, trainer S. S. Gill, doctor Rajinder Kalra and myself took Aslam to the national mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
The Mullah, a dignified bearded old man, welcomed us. When I had told him that we had come to pray, he was surprised. Not conversant with the mode of prayer, I kept my head bowed to the ground till the end of Namaz. The Mullah blessed us, "May God help you in your endeavour."
After the prayers, we saw the Pakistani team also come out of the mosque. Some members of the Pakistani team were so surprised that they told Aslam, "your team officials have so much faith. God may help you more than he might help us."
Author and Sushil with the World Cup