The Final Whistle: Life and Times of K D Singh 'Ba
No hockey player in the world caught the attention of sports critics as he did. He had magic in his stick and most often sports commentators were at a loss of words to describe his superlative game. His game was a commentator's delight. When unable to describe his wizardry a sports reporter could only express 'But the best brains of the FBI, if enlisted, would have been unable to put manacles on this all time great inside forward'. Former New Zealand Captain C V Walter was more candid when he wrote ' So Great was 'Babu' that not even the umpires could stop him, desperately hard though they tried at times'. The mere news of his participation in any match used to spread like wildfire and fans would rush and swarm the arena to see him play. Right from 1937 when he made his first public appearance he dominated the headlines for more than twenty years. He was the main architect of the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Gold's and in recognition of his wizardry he was awarded the coveted 'World Helms Trophy' for being the best athlete of Asia and best hockey player of world. He was the first Indian to be honoured so. He was a multi-talented sportsman and a big game hunter who knew the ways of a tiger as well as how to pierce through a packed defense. Likened to the great magician Harry Houdini for his great escapes through tightest rings of defenders 'The Final Whistle' is a graphic narration of his unbelievable game that dazzled world opponents.
