Born in Mhow (Madhya Pradesh) on July 7, 1933, Shankar Laxman joined the army after passing his higher secondary from a local school.
He rose to become Honorary Captain in the Maratha Light Infantry from where he retired in 1979.
Shankar started his career in 1955 playing for Services and earned kudos for his daredevil goalkeeping.
He kept the goal in during 1956 Olympics when India, under Balbir Singh, won the gold by defeating Pakistan.
He played his last Olympics under Charanjit Singh in 1964 in Tokyo where India defeated Pakistan to win back the title. The same year he was chosen for the coveted Arjuna Award.
He was also the member of the squad when hockey was first introduced in 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo.
He was again there to defend the goal in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.
