Balasingam, son of INA veteran and member of Malaysia’s golden hockey generation, reconnects with Madras at Murugappa Gold Cup

The Malaysian junior team, taking part in the ongoing MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup 2025 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai, had some unexpected home support ahead of its Pool B encounter on Tuesday. 

K. Balasingam, a member of Malaysia’s golden hockey generation, here in Chennai on the organiser’s invite, was casting a keen eye on the performances of the juniors.

The Egmore Stadium is no terra incognita for the septuagenarian, having been a part of the Malaysian squad that participated in the Rene Frank Trophy here in 1976. 

“I have fond memories of playing here. In those days, there were just zinc sheets and plastic chairs. I also remember the small tea shops in front of the Egmore Railway Station. That was 50 years ago,” Balasingam told  Sportstar. 

“Many actors came to watch us play—Nagesh, S.S. Rajendran, and S.P. Muthuraman. That was very special because I was crazy about Tamil movies back then,” he added. 

The Indian connect

The hockey field is not Balasingam’s only connection with the erstwhile state of Madras. His father, who hailed from Thanjavur, travelled across the oceans to Penang in Malaysia at the age of 16 to join Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA). 

“My father was taken to Burma (now Myanmar) to build the railway, but many Indians died there after contracting malaria and cholera. Somehow, he managed to survive and smuggle himself into Ipoh, Malaysia, where I was born,” the former player explains. 

“Till he passed away in 2016, he would stand up and salute every time he heard ‘INA’. Bose was like God to him, and he was a warrior,” he added. 

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With his family starting from scratch in a foreign land, hockey was not affordable for Balasingam. Even hockey sticks worth five Malaysian Ringgits proved too expensive, but support from friends helped Bala and his younger brother, K.T. Rajan, to take up the sport.

Both brothers eventually became Malaysian internationals, spending the best part of 10 years together with the national team. 

Crowning glory

Balasingam was part of the Malaysian team that won third place at the Asian Games in Tehran in 1974. And though he concedes that standing atop a podium at a continental event is a big achievement, he names the fourth-place finish at the 1975 World Cup at home his greatest moment on the turf. 

“Despite being fourth, 1975 was my crowning glory. We were 10th or 12th at that time [in the rankings], and we managed to finish fourth. That was a big boost,” the former full-back said, pointing at a badge on his yellow t-shirt commemorating the 50th anniversary of the achievement. 

“We had all our families watching it from the stadium. More than 65,000 people were cheering for us, including the Prime Minister. Even today, some people come and say they were at the stadium watching us play,” he said. 

After impressive wins over Poland and the Netherlands in the group stages, Malaysia succumbed to India in the semifinal, losing out in extra time after leading at one stage in the game. 

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Balasingam explained the grim nature of the dressing room after the match. His teammates were in tears. They had just let a match slip out of their grasp in the dying minutes. Malaysia would have gone on to beat Pakistan in the final, he says confidently. 

The mood at home was slightly different. “We came out of the stadium and headed towards the bus. My father was waiting at the door. ‘ Naina, who were you supporting?’ I asked. ‘India’, he said. In one way, his sons had lost, but he was happy that his country had won. Loyalty comes from the heart,” the former defender said with a smile. 

The match continues to be a topic of banter between Balasingam and his Indian contemporaries to date. Even after hanging up his boots, he continues to be a regular visitor to India, hanging out with his old buddies B. P. Govinda and V. Baskaran on the golf course in the middle of business visits, reminiscing about their times. 

“For 50 years, everyone has been talking about us. We are getting tired of it. I hope one day we do better than fourth,” Balasingam says.