Shabbir Ali, Amalraj remember late footballer Balaram

Balaram is considered one of the top three legends of the game along with duo PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami and the book gives insights into his life

Hyderabad: Former Indian footballers from Hyderabad Shabbir Ali and Victor Amalraj shared their relation and insights on former football great Tulsidas Balaram, during the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival, held in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, on Saturday.

The book on the former legend Balaram – Tulsidas Balaram: The Boy, The Hero, The Tormented Football, was featured prominently at the literature festival. Balaram is considered one of the top three legends of the game along with duo PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami and the book gives insights into his life.

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Amalraj talked at length about his experience of knowing Balaram. Amalraj, the former India captain, also shed light on football in Ammuguda, the village where Balaram was born and brought up and learnt the basics of the game.

Shabbir Ali, former India captain and coach, meanwhile, has shed light on difficulties Hyderabadi players faced playing in Calcutta, now Kolkata. The moderator Rajaraman also brought some interesting details from the book. He also highlighted the anecdotes that the author brought to fore about Balaram, his life and career.