The Kishan Lal-led hockey team, depleted by Partition, beat all odds to win 4-0 against Great Britain -the significance wasn’t lost on anyone then — at the Empire stadium in London (now the Wembley).

Partition, and the departure of some Anglo-Indian players had weakened India, although the team was still among the favourites. Indeed, between 1928 and 1956, India remained the Olympic champion, winning six gold medals. Still, with the necessity of having to rebuild the team, and with some members losing family and property during the partition, the Indian team at the London games was a definite underdog.

A Hindi movie based on independent India’s first gold at the Olympics, Gold, releases later this week, timed with Independence Day on August 15.