Tulsidas Balaram: the boy, the hero, the tormented footballer

By Sudipta Biswas

The discussion about pursuing the legendary duo PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami often leaves out the last component, which otherwise builds into a triad. Tulsidas Balaram is a legendary striker whose decade-long career is nothing short of an inspiring account. It also traces an era that saw football as an emotion. The Indian politics that flamed to oppress him, in fact, channelled and vitalised him with paramount fervour. Due to his ailing health, his career was brief. Tulsidas Balaram: The Boy, The Hero, The Tormented Footballer traces the geography, politics, conspiracy, and emotional rage of the 1940s—a time that shaped Tulsidas Balaram and his love for football.