One of the country’s finest footballers and a member of the golden era of Indian football (1951-1962), Tulsidas Balaram passed away due to multiple organ failure in Kolkata on Thursday at the age of 87. Balaram who used to reside in Uttarpara on the banks of the Hooghly river was admitted to a city hospital on 26th December last year and was being treated for urinary infection and abdominal swelling. Balaram took part in two Olympics in 1956 and 1960 and reached the pinnacle of Asian football when India, under the guidance of legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim, won the Asian Games gold in Jakarta, beating South Korea 2-1 in 1962. In the Rome Olympics, Balaram was at his best . He scored twice against Hungary and Peru.

Balaram was born on 4th October 1936, in Ammuguda village, a barrack of Secundrabad. The overwhelming striker Balaram who also glorified East Bengal over the years, being the top scorer with 23 goals and the captain of the team, scored 131 goals, including 14 for India, across seven seasons.

But more than his goals, Balaram was renowned for his fascinating ball control, dribbling, sense of passing, insatiable appetite for forming the attack, and versatility. A product of Rahim’s coaching, Balaram who was an Arjuna Awardee had the uncanny ability to adapt to different positions. An inside striker, he could play as a winger and withdrawn forward, often creating the attack and dragging himself deep into the play to launch a counterattack. Balaram, who learned football wearing heavy leather military boots in his village, could accelerate, decelerate or pivot in a flash. He could control the ball with either foot. He was equally brilliant in set pieces.

Renowned coach, the late Amal Dutta once commenting on Balaram stated, "He was a box-to-box footballer. His style of play and sharpness could remember as the style of Ruud Gullit."