His wife, Caroline Vimala Kulasingam, a teacher, wears a gold coin as a pendant on her wedding chain (thali). “Fifty years on, the coin is perfect in every way,” gleams Balasingam.

The vintage timepiece and the gold coin reflect Balasingam’s deep connection with the 1975 Men’s Hockey World Cup, and his commitment to preserving its legacy.

Former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein gifted an Omega gold watch and $160 to each of the 16 players who took Malaysia to the semi-finals of the tournament in Kuala Lumpur.

The gold coin came in a set of commemorative coins, together with silver and bronze, issued by Bank Negara in conjunction with the event.

These effects are far from the only reminder of Balasingam’s part as a right-half in the country’s World Cup run.

Over the decades, photographs, mementos and programmes found their way into his fanatical world of hockey, alongside press clippings and personal gifts.

The 50th anniversary of the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur provided an opportunity to root through his memorabilia in the office of his project and construction management company at Kelana Jaya.

Among the items was a diary that he used to describe what he saw, what he heard and what he felt in the build-up to the event and during the competition from March 1-15.

He says he wells up whenever he reads his jottings about the electrifying atmosphere of Malaysia’s matches, and the roar of unprecedented fan support.

“I was collecting and writing consciously,” said Balasingam, who featured in every match, except against Spain.

He is still very much a physical diary person and writes about his daily experiences and about the people who matter in his life.

That includes his grassroots hockey team, his family, and his sons, thoracic surgeon Dr Dinesh Francis and Daniel Reuben, a mechanical engineer.

Reawakening fading memories

Take a wander into his office and it is easy to see what this hockey-obsessed man, who is now executive director of his firm, is all about.

The walls are adorned with his favourite pieces photographed for posterity.

Elsewhere, a trove of items helps rekindle nostalgia for one of the nation’s proudest sporting moments.

They are the type of materials that can help people connect with the past, stir positive memories, aid reminiscence and spark conversations.

Jumping out of these are images of the wild celebrations of the fans and players, and the tears that flowed, after Malaysia’s nail-biting 2-1 victory over reigning champions, the Netherlands, to secure a semi-final spot.

You cried? “I still do when I think about it, and about the narrow loss in the semi-final to India, the eventual champions,” said Balasingam, 73.

He believes his keepsakes make the soul sing, “although it can include some feelings like a longing for Malaysian hockey’s happier times.”

“Some people say I talk too much, and too often, about the ’75 World Cup team, but what’s wrong with talking about something that made me a better person.

“I helped Malaysia to an incredible fourth-place finish, and am proud of playing in front of my parents and Malaysians of all backgrounds,” he said.

Duel with the “Flying Horse”

An abiding memory for Balasingam is his duel with Pakistani Samiullah Khan, who was known as the “Flying Horse” for his blistering speed.

It was his job to mark Samiullah, then the world’s best left winger, out of the game. “To win that personal duel I had to raise my performance to my limit, even beyond.”

Balasingam, who was Malaysia’s second choice right-half to Phang Poh Meng (injured in the opening match against New Zealand) did what many couldn’t.

“I actually stopped him from moving and that was my best game,” he gushed with pride.

After a scoreless first half at the TPCA Stadium on March 9, Poon Fook Loke scored before Pakistan hit two goals past Malaysia.

Malaysia went on to beat the Netherlands and Balasingam experiences a rush of emotion every time he talks about the magical morning at the Kilat Club ground.

Two Balas

On several occasions in the 1970s two Balasingams, from Ipoh, whizzed around on the same pitch in a Malaysia shirt.

S Balasingam and K Balasingam were aged 21 when they joined the national team in ’68 and ’73 respectively.

Left-half S Balasingam, quiet and unassuming, featured in the ’72 and ’76 Olympics as well as the ’73 and ’75 world cups.

His flashy namesake was in the Malaysia side that won the bronze medal at the ’74 Tehran Asian Games.

The two Balas and their ’75 World Cup contemporaries were inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of Fame in 2004.

S Balasingam died of cancer in 2020 aged 72.

Sadly, none of his teammates could pay their last respects to him due to the movement control order during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The other members of the squad who have passed away were head coach Ho Koh Chye and his assistants, Lawrence van Huizen and Mohamed Sidek Othman.

How different things could have been

K Balasingam’s younger brother K T Rajan, a forward, was the only player to be dropped from the final 17 in training for the ’75 World Cup.

He said while Rajan was distraught, he later accepted that he was just coming into the team, while the senior forwards like Franco D’Cruz and M Mahendran had World Cup and Olympics experience by then.

Their parents, R Krishnan and V Pathmavathy, were upset as they had hoped to see their two sons in the same team on home ground in hockey’s biggest stage.

Three years later, the brothers were in the squad at the World Cup in Buenos Aires, where Malaysia finished a dismal 10th among 12 nations.

They began playing the sport with the Kinta Indians Association in Ipoh under AI Thillianathan, who gave Balasingam his first hockey stick, and Rasa Selvarajah, and went on to represent Perak.

As a technician with State Development Corporation Selangor (PKNS), Balasingam played for the state alongside Rajan, and ’75 world cuppers N Sri Shanmuganathan, Wong Choon Hin, R Pathmarajah and M Mahendran.

Balasingam recalled that the Selangor and PKNS teams included the late left winger Harnek Singh Dhaliwal, who withdrew from the ’75 World Cup team before the tournament began for reasons of his own.

He said with Harnek that side would have had more firepower in attack.

Besides his dribbling skills, Harnek was known for deceiving opposing defenders by appearing to fall, but never falling. They called him the “Falling Singh”.

Grassroots man

It is not unusual to catch Balasingam at a youth team hockey match or an under-15 training session.

That’s how he came to provide financial support and basic equipment in 2016 for the hockey team of Rinching Estate Tamil school, near Semenyih.

“It is now one of the best Tamil schools in the country in hockey, under coaches Gopal and Kalidas.

“Two boys from the school have the potential to make the national senior team, while six lads are in sports schools,” Balasingam beamed.

He said his rise as a player who “came from a poor family and couldn’t afford to buy sticks and shorts” motivated him to nurture talent.

According to him, the “boys of ’75” inspired a new generation of players and spurred the development of hockey in Malaysia.

“It was the tournament that changed Malaysian hockey and my life forever,” said Balasingam.