On April 30, 1908, Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose threw a bomb at a carriage which they believed was occupied by Mr. Kingsford, the unpopular District Judge of Muzzafurpur. Unfortunately, the bomb killed two English ladies - the Kennedys - instead.

Prafulla Chaki shot himself dead, while Khudiram Bose was tried and hanged. Thousands wept at their deaths, and Bose and Chaki entered the ranks of heroes about whom folk songs were sung and whose photographs were circulated all over the country.

Khudiram Bose was all of 18 years when he was executed. At an age when many teenagers have their dreams, he dared to dream of an independent India. The era of revolutionary militancy had begun.

• The 13 member Indian team for the 1928 Olympics (with 3 students joining in London) set sail on March 10, 1928 from Mumbai to London. Only 3 people - 2 officials of the IHF and a solitary journalist - were present on this historic occasion to see the first national hockey team leave the shores of India.
  
  
• The Indian team landed at the Tilbury docks near London on March 10, 1928, en route to Amsterdam. After witnessing the Indian jugglers’ game in the Folkstone Hockey Festival, defending champions England, gold winners at the 1908 and 1920 Olympics, lost their enthusiasm. The English decided to withdraw from the Olympics to avoid defeat at the hands of a 'subject' people. Britain never played India as long as it remained its colony.
  
  
• The ten-day hockey competition in the Amsterdam Games was held in May, two months before the rest of the Olympic events. India made its debut in the Olympic Games on May 17, 1928, beating Austria 6-0. India went on to beat Belgium 9-0, Denmark 5-0 and Switzerland 6-0 in the semi-finals to set up the title clash against Holland.
  
  
• Jaipal Singh, a student of Oxford University, captained India only till the semi-finals before he had to go back to England. Vice Captain Eric Pinniger then took over the captaincy for the final against Holland.
  
  
• The finals, held on May 26, 1928, aroused tremendous interest. Nearly 24,000 spectators, till then the biggest crowd for a hockey match, saw the game. India beat Holland 3 - 0 to win its first ever Olympic gold medal, and its first ever victory in a world tournament. On May 29, when the prize giving ceremony was held at the Olympic Stadium, and Eric Pinniger lead the team to the victory stand, this marked the first time that a team from Asia had won any medal in the Olympics.
  
  
• Richard James Allen did not concede a single goal in the 1928 Olympics. Allen, who kept India's goal in 3 consecutive Olympics (1928, 1932, 1936), conceded a total of only 3 goals in the 3 Olympics and won 3 gold medals.
  
  
• The Amsterdam Games marked the debut of a Lance Naik from the Indian Army - the 'Hockey Wizard' Dhyan Chand. He had come by the sobriquet with a sensational feat in the final of the Punjab Indian Infantry tournament in the town of Jhelum. 'Come on, Dhyan! We are two goals down,' said his commanding officer. 'Do something about it.' Dhyan Chand then scored three goals in the last four minutes for his side to snatch a dramatic victory. Dhyan Chand was the favourite of all at the Amsterdam Games, dazzling spectators and critics alike.
  
  
• An awe-struck Dutch journalist wrote "The Indian ball seems ignorant of the laws of gravity. One of those tanned diabolical jugglers stares at the ball intently; it gets upright and remains suspended in the air. This is no longer the game of hockey. It is a juggling turn. It is splendid." The Indian team's performance revived interest in hockey, and overnight it became a world sport.
  
  
• India's record in the 1928 Olympics at Amsterdam was as follows :
• Played : 5
• Won : 5
• Goals For : 29
• Goals Against : 0
  
  
• The following were the members of the 1928 Indian Olympic Team :
• Jaipal Singh (captain) (from London)
• Broome Eric Pinniger (vice captain) (Punjab)
• Shaukat Ali (Bengal)
• Richard J. Allen (goalkeeper) (Bengal)
• Dhyan Chand (United Provinces)
• Michael A. Gateley (Delhi)
• William James Goodsir-Cullen (United Provinces)
• Leslie C. Hammond (United Provinces)
• Feroze Khan (Punjab)
• George Eric Marthins (United Provinces)
• Rex A. O. Norris (Central Provinces)
• Nawab of Pataudi (from London)
• Michael E. Rocque (Central Provinces)
• Frederick S. Seaman (United Provinces)
• Kher Singh (Punjab)
• Syed M. Yusuf (from London)
• A. R. Rosser (manager) (Bengal)

Photo Courtesy : Wills Book of Excellence