Trip Down Memory Lane The Forgotten Tale of Former Indian Centre-Forward & 1975 World-Cupper Shivaji Pawar
Late Shivaji Pawar’s story is something that would trigger a ‘want to know more about him feeling’ – the stylish, handsome Gwalior lad never played for India before featuring in the all-famous 1975 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur, where the Blueshirts basked themselves in glory. And surprisingly, he never ever wore the national jersey after being a member of the triumphant World Cup side – something you don’t expect to see with a player, who made an impact at the 1975 World Cup in a side teeming with star players, to be driven into oblivion.
Read How India’s Most Capped Player Vandana Katariya Would be Fondly Remembered in Indian Women’s Hockey
A Google search on Shivaji Pawar would make you feel deeply disappointed simply because there is not much of documentation around to know about this former ace forward, who as a 25-year-old at the peak of his powers, made vital contributions. The talented centre-forward was in a national side that had the likes of BP Govinda, Ashok Kumar, Harcharan Singh, VJ Phillips, Harjinder Singh, and PE Kalaiah upfront, and despite fierce competiton or places in the forwardline, Shivaji was still about to deliver meaningful contributions in a showpiece event that happened to be his senior international debut as well as his international swansong.
(Shivaji Pawar – second from left – taking a celebratory lap of run after cornering glory in the 1975 World Cup)
It must be remembered that Shivaji, who loves swimming as a pastime, scored 2 crucial goals in the 1975 World Cup – he scored India’s 3rd goal in the 3-1 win over then West Germany (now Germany) and scored India’s 1st goal in 3-2 win over Malaysia in the semifinal. He is among five players of that 1975 World Cup-winning side that have left for the heavenly abode in 1998 (the others being Mohinder Singh – 1977, Surjit Singh – 1984, Michael Kindo – 2020, and Varinder Singh – 2022).
Read Why the 2025 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Would be At its Competitive Best!
Born on August 20th, 1950 at Gwalior, Shivaji did not need to look elsewhere to generate passion for hockey as he belonged to a hockey family – Shivaji’s grandfather late Balasaheb Pawar was a hockey player of repute and used to play with then icons like Roop Singh and Dhyan Chand in the 1930s and 1940s. Interestingly, late Balasaheb Pawar was also a skilled forward much like Shivaji.
The entire Shivaji Pawar menage (barring his wife) are into hockey – his only son Naveen Pawar played in three senior nationals for Madhya Pradesh (1995-1997) and seven junior nationals. Naveen’s three sisters – Vanita Pawar (eldest daughter), Anita Pawar, and Madhavi Pawar also played in the nationals and they all were forwards. Even Shivaji’s younger brother Ravinder Pawar, also a proficient player – many say he was unlucky not to play for India.
(Shivaji Pawar died at the age of 48 on February 22, 1998)
Read A Deep Dive into History of India-Australia Men Hockey Test Series
The Gwalior lad turned out for Chhatri Bazaar club in his initial hockey days, and grew in stature with a string of impressive performances. Subsequently, he landed a job with Jallandhar-based Corp of Signals where he played a pivotal role in Corp of Signals wearing a formidable look in the domestic hockey circuit between 1971 and 1976.
The former forward was instrumental in Corp of Signals won as many as 14 All India Tourneys, including the prestigious Senior Nehru Tournament during the 1972-73 season. Leslie Fernandes, who was one of the two goalkeepers at the 1975 World Cup alongside Ashok Diwan, has cherished memories of playing alongside Shivaji. “I played with Shivaji for Corp of Signals from 1970-1976 – I vividly remember the impact Shivaji used to deliver for Corp of Signals, especially in the 1972-73 season when we literally won every domestic tournament. He is very skilled player but did not quite receive the recognition he deserved,” Leslie recounts with a tinge of remorse.
The former Indian goalkeeper shares an anecdote about Shivaji’s dapperlooks. “He was tall and handsome and I used to jokingly tell his son Naveen that his father because of his good looks can have so many girlfriends,” he grins.
The triumphant Indian 1975 World Cup side were felicitated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On that occasion, Shivaji put in a request to the Indian Prime Minister to facilitate his resignation from the Indian Army. “In those days you cannot resign unless you have served in the Indian Army for 15 years, and my father had served 13 years – the Prime Minister did the needful. There were some who came up with requests but my dad wanted his resignation from the Indian Army,” says Shivaji Pawar’s son Naveen Pawar, a former Madhya Pradesh fullback (as mentioned above).
(Shivaji Pawar in his younger days)
Shivaji after quitting the Indian Army job, shifted to Uttar Pradesh and took up the job of a Sports Officer-cum-Coach at Rampur-based Jagat Textile Company in 1977 (they used to have a solid hockey team in those days) – under Shivaji as coach, Jagat Textile Company won several domestic hockey tourneys. Subsequently, Shivaji joined the Gwalior Nagar Nigam as a Sports Officer in 1980, and in 1987 late Railway Minister Madhavrao Scindia offered him a job as Sports Officer of the Gwalior Hockey Stadium).
On the 1975 World Cup Shivaji always felt that Malaysia were tough opponents in their own backyard. “People talk about the India-Pakistan rivalry but my daddy used to tell me that Malaysia backed by their home crowd support, were more dangerous than Pakistan in the World Cup,” quips Naveen, who revealed something about Surjit Singh.
“Daddy used to tell me that Surjit Singh wanted to stay focused ahead of India’s matches and to build match temperament he refrained from talking much during team’s breakfast, lunch or dinner sittings. Indian players used to talk with Pakistan, Malaysia or players from other nations but Surjit stayed quiet,” he recounts his memories with his late father.
Shivaji’s 1975 World Cup and Corp of Signals team-mate Leslie Fernandes summed up aptly. “”Shivaji is often talked about a lot for missing a scoring opportunity in the 1975 World Cup final against Pakistan but nobody makes a mention about his goal in the World Cup semifinal against Malaysia as well as the goal scored against West Germany tie.”
The ace former striker was not bestowed with awards (Arjun award or any other award) during his playing days or after his retirement. “Daddy used to tell me he will never seek anything – if awards come his way he will be more than happy to receive them,” says his son Naveen.
Shivaji died on February 22, 1998 at the age of 48 at Gwalior because of jaundice. Surely 48 is not age to die and he left us soon. Let be there no doubt that Shivaji Pawar indeed made meaningful contributions to the 1975 World Cup triumph.
Image Credit: Naveen Shivaji Pawar
