View source for Michael Kindo

{{Short description|Indian field hockey player (1946–2020)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox field hockey player
| name                 = Michael Kindo
| image                = Michael Kindo.jpg
| image_size           = 
| alt                  = 
| caption              = 
| birth_date           = {{Birth date|1946|6|28|df=y}}
| birth_place          = [[Simdega district|Simdega]], [[Jharkhand]]
| death_date           = {{Death date and age|2020|12|31|1946|df=y}}
| death_place          = [[Rourkela]], [[Odisha]]
| height               = {{Convert|170|cm|ftin|frac=2|abbr=on}}
| weight 	           = 62 kg
| position             = Fullback
| years1               = 1966-1973
| clubs1               = [[Services Sports Control Board|Services]]
| caps(goals)1         = N/A
| years2               = 1978-1980
| clubs2               = [[Hockey Odisha|Odisha]] ([[Steel Authority of India|SAIL]])
| caps(goals)2         = N/A
| nationalyears1       = 1969-1976
| nationalteam1        = [[India men's national field hockey team|India]]
| nationalcaps(goals)1 = N/A
| medaltemplates       = 
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}} [[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{Medal|B|[[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]]|Team}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Men's FIH Hockey World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|B|[[1971 Men's Hockey World Cup|1971 Barcelona]]|Team}}
{{Medal|S|[[1973 Men's Hockey World Cup|1973 Amstelveen]]|Team}}
{{Medal|G|[[1975 Men's Hockey World Cup|1975 Kuala Lumpur]]|Team}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asian Games]]}}
{{Medal|S|[[1974 Asian Games|1974 Tehran]]|Team}}
}}
'''Michael Kindo''' (28 June 1946 – 31 December 2020) was an Indian [[field hockey]] player from the tribal belt of Jharkhand. He played at full back defender position and represented India and competed in the [[1971 Men's Hockey World Cup]], [[1972 Summer Olympics]], [[1973 Men's Hockey World Cup]], [[1974 Asian Games]], [[1975 Men's Hockey World Cup]]. Prior to this he had competed in several local, national and regional competitions. In 1972, he became the first [[Adivasi]] sportsperson to be awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award.<ref name="yasData1">{{cite web |url=https://yas.nic.in/michael-kindo |title=Pension information of Michael Kindo |author=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |website=MoYAS NIC Website |publisher=Government of India |quote=Date of Birth: Friday, June 28, 1946}}</ref><ref name="msn">{{cite news |title=Michael Kindo passes away: 'A fine gentleman, a great player', 1975 World Cup-winning players remember the hockey hero |url=https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/other/michael-kindo-passes-away-a-fine-gentleman-a-great-player-1975-world-cup-winning-players-remember-the-hockey-hero/ar-BB1crGdS |work=MSN |date=4 January 2021 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://yas.nic.in/arjun-award-winners-hockey |title=List of Arjun award Winners for Hockey |author=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |website=MoYAS NIC Website |publisher=Government of India |quote=1972 - Shri Michael Kindo}}</ref><ref name="s2h">{{cite web |url=https://stick2hockey.com/hockey-player/michael-kindo/ |title=Michael Kindo |website=Stick2Hockey }}</ref><ref name="otv1">{{cite AV media |date=2021-01-01 |title=କିମ୍ବଦନ୍ତୀ ହକି ଖେଳାଳି ମାଇକେଲ କିଣ୍ଡୋ 74 ରେ ପରଲୋକ |trans-title=Legendary Hockey Player Michael Kindo Passes Away At 74 |type=Television program |language=or |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtdPWgnMsyQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/WtdPWgnMsyQ| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|publisher=[[Odisha TV]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Michael was well known for his tackling and dodging skills. He was considered a pioneer in Indian hockey for his no-look pass. According to many of his colleagues, Michael had a clean tackling technique, covered areas well and was a master of ball distribution, which allowed the forwards to play fearlessly. He did the right move at the right time, said former [[India men's national field hockey team|team India]] captain [[Ajit Pal Singh]]. He was known as one of the most dependable team players and was almost never in error in the field. Hockey enthusiasts and his team members frequently remark that Michael was a genuine team player who made solid defense an art form.<ref name="ix1">{{cite news |last=Vasavda |first=Mihir |date=2020-01-01 |df=dmy |title=Michael Kindo, world-class defender & gentle giant of hockey, passes away |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/hockey/michael-kindo-world-class-defender-gentle-giant-of-hockey-passes-away-7128406/ |work=Indian Express }}</ref><ref name="tc">{{cite news |author=Anindita Das|title=Michael Kindo, World-Class Defender & Gentle Giant Of Hockey, Passes Away |url=https://technocodex.com/michael-kindo-world-class-defender-gentle-giant-of-hockey-passes-away/ |work=TechnoCodex |date=2021-01-01|df=dmy}}</ref><ref name="s2h2">{{cite web |url=https://stick2hockey.com/obituary-neat-tackler-sturdy-full-back-kindo-was-one-of-a-kind/ |title=Obituary: Neat Tackler, Sturdy Full-Back, Kindo Was One of a Kind |website=Stick2Hockey }}</ref><ref name="toi">{{cite news |author=Biswajyoti Brahma |title=Michael Kindo was a gentleman, a pillar of strength: Ajitpal Singh|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/michael-kindo-was-a-gentleman-a-pillar-of-strength-ajitpal-singh/articleshow/80056067.cms |work=[[Times of India]] |date=2021-01-01|df=dmy}}</ref>

==Early life==
Michael Kindo was born in a village in [[Bihar]](now [[Jharkhand]]) on 28 June 1946. He first picked up the hockey stick at RC Boys Middle School in [[Kurdeg block|Kurdeg]]. After he finished his schooling he joined the [[Indian Navy]].<ref name="s2h" /><ref name="msn" /><ref name="yasData1" /><ref name="ix1" />

==Career==
===Domestic career===
Michael's career took a serious turn when he joined the navy. In his time in the navy, he got selected for and represented the [[Services Sports Control Board|Services]] hockey team in the [[National Games of India|national championships]] from 1966 to 1973. He won the Best Services Sportsman award in 1971.<ref name="s2h" /><ref name="msn" /><ref name="ix1" />

===International career===
Kindo made his international debut in 1969 representing [[India men's national field hockey team|team India]] in a test series against Kenya. He was a member of the Indian men's field hockey team in the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich Olympics]], winning the Bronze medal.<ref name="oly">{{cite web |url=https://www.olympic.org/michael-kindo |title=Michael Kindo Ind |website=Official Olympics Organization|quote= 1972 Munich - Bronze - Hockey - Men's Hockey }}</ref> He had played in all of the first three [[Men's FIH Hockey World Cup|world cups]]. They won Bronze medal in the [[1971 Men's Hockey World Cup|1971 world cup]]; Silver in the [[1973 Men's Hockey World Cup|1973 world cup]] and Gold in the [[1975 Men's Hockey World Cup|1975 world cup]]. He also represented [[India at the 1974 Asian Games|India]] in [[Field hockey at the 1974 Asian Games|field hockey]] at the [[1974 Asian Games|1974 Tehran Asian games]].<ref name="s2h" /><ref name="msn" /><ref name="ix1" /><ref name="fp2">{{cite news |author=FP Sports Staff |title=Michael Kindo passes away: 'A fine gentleman, a great player', 1975 World Cup-winning players remember the hockey hero |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/michael-kindo-passes-away-a-fine-gentleman-a-great-player-1975-world-cup-winning-players-remember-the-hockey-hero-9169081.html |work=FirstPost. |date=2021-01-04 |df=dmy}}</ref><ref name="ix3">{{cite news |author=[[Press Trust of India|PTI]]|title=Michael Kindo, former Olympic bronze-winning hockey player, passes away |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/hockey/michael-kindo-olympics-world-cup-winner-death-7127948/ |work=IndianExpress |date=2020-12-31|df=dmy}}</ref><ref name="ndtv">{{cite news |author=[[Asian News International]] |title=Legendary Indian Hockey Player Michael Kindo Dies At 73 |url=https://sports.ndtv.com/hockey/legendary-india-hockey-player-michael-kindo-dies-at-73-2346231 |work=NDTV Sports |date=2020-12-31|df=dmy}}</ref><ref name="toi" /><ref name="utk">{{cite news |title=India's 1975 hockey World Cup winner Michael Kindo, 73, dead |url=https://www.utkaltoday.com/michael-kindo-passed-away/ |work=ଉତ୍କଳ (Utkal) Today |location=[[Bhubaneswar]]/[[New Delhi]] |date=2021-01-01 |df=dmy}}</ref>

In the 1975 world cup, Michael injured his ankle and was substituted with [[Aslam Sher Khan]] in the semi-finals against [[Malaysia men's national field hockey team|Malaysia]]. Khan's efforts dragged India into the finals and Kindo lost his spot in the starting 11 against [[Pakistan men's national field hockey team|Pakistan]] in the final match. The ankle injury denied him a place at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but Michael shortly quit his international career after the team's dismal performance brought India down to 7th place.<ref name="s2h" /><ref name="ix1" /><ref name="s2h2" />

===Later Work===
Michael joined [[Steel Authority of India|SAIL]] hockey at [[Rourkela]] in and represented Odisha state in the nationals from 1978 to 1980. He used to hold tournaments for children in his village in Jharkhand. Michael was also a State Team Selector for Odisha in the 1993 Bikaner national championship. He coached hockey at the SAIL Hockey Academy (SHA) at [[Rourkela]], and was responsible for the installment of [[AstroTurf|an artificial turf]] at the academy.<ref name="s2h" /><ref name="ix1" /><ref name="fp1">{{cite news |last=Srivastava |first=Shantanu |date=2018-12-09 |df=dmy |title=Hockey World Cup 2018: An afternoon with Michael Kindo, India's world-beating defender who dazzled with his skills and smarts |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/hockey-world-cup-2018-an-afternoon-with-michael-kindo-indias-world-beating-defender-who-dazzled-with-his-skills-and-smarts-5698681.html|work=Firstpost|location=Rourkela }}</ref><ref name="tc" />

==Retirement and legacy==
Kindo quietly retired into his Rourkela home, where he lived with his wife and his son's family. In 2010, when he came to the Delhi world cup, he was put through ordinary security checks, unrecognizable by anybody in the crowd. Michael supported the 2011 merger of Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation. In the 2012 Olympics, he was upset seeing India's performance at London, Michael criticized and demanded immediate removal of [[Michael Nobbs|coach Nobbs]].<ref name="fp1" /><ref name="s2h2" /><ref name="ix2">{{cite news |last=Srivastava |first=Shantanu |date=2012-02-12 |df=dmy |title=Olympian Michael Kindo demands removal of Michael Nobbs |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/olympian-michael-kindo-demands-removal-of-michael-nobbs/986059/|work=Indian Express|location=Ranchi }}</ref>

Michael Kindo died on 31 December 2020 at [[Ispat General Hospital (IGH), Rourkela|Ispat General hospital]] due to age-related illnesses. According to his family, he was bedridden for quite some time and was suffering from depression.<ref name="msn" /><ref name="ix1" /><ref name="fp1" /><ref name="tc" /><ref name="ix2" /><ref name="ix3" /><ref name="utk" /><ref name="ndtv" /><ref name="wion" /> On Thursday, 1 January, 2021, his body was brought from the morgue to the [[Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium|Rourkela hockey stadium]] for the public to pay their respects and was also bestowed upon with the [[Guard of Honour]] by the district police. His body was then taken to Hamirpur church and was laid to rest in the church graveyard.<ref name="wion">{{cite news |author=[[Press Trust of India|PTI]] |title=Hockey legend Michael Kindo, 73, passes away |url=https://www.wionews.com/sports/hockey-legend-michael-kindo-73-passes-away-353632 |work=WION News |location=[[New Delhi]] |date=2020-12-31 |df=dmy}}</ref><ref name="otv1" /><ref name="pm7">{{cite AV media |people=(Ground Reporter)|date=2021-01-01|title=ହକି ଖେଳାଳି ମାଇକେଲ କିଣ୍ଡୋଙ୍କୁ ଗାର୍ଡ ଅଫ୍ ଅନର |trans-title=Guard Of Honor To Hockey Player Michael Kindo |type=Television production|language=or|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9j22NmHbWk  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/n9j22NmHbWk| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|location=[[Rourkela]] |publisher=Prameya News7}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="otv">{{cite AV media |people=(Ground Reporter) |date=2021-01-01 |title=ରାଉରକେଲାରେ ମାଇକେଲ୍ କିଣ୍ଡୋଙ୍କୁ ଗାର୍ଡ ଅଫ୍ ଅନର |trans-title=Guard Of Honour To Late Michael Kindo In Rourkela |type=Television program |language=or|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivJqFkK_IwM  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/ivJqFkK_IwM| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|location=[[Rourkela]] |publisher=[[Odisha TV]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="ndg">{{cite AV media |people=Das, Avaniranjan (Ground Reporter)| date=2021-01-01 |title=ହକି କିମ୍ବଦନ୍ତୀ ମାଇକେଲ କିଣ୍ଡୋ ରାଉରକେଲାରେ ରାଜ୍ୟ ସମ୍ମାନ ସହିତ ବିଶ୍ରାମ ରଖାଯାଇଛି |trans-title=Hockey Legend Michael Kindo Laid To Rest With State Honours In Rourkela |type=Television program |language=or |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct1B-vCH--U  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/ct1B-vCH--U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|location=[[Rourkela]] |publisher=Nandighosha TV}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Michael Kindo still remains a tribal icon who instilled the aspiration of tribal hockey all over Gumla-Sundergarh tribal belt. This region is considered a conveyer belt of hockey players today. Former Team India captain and a student of Michael's, [[Dilip Tirkey]] said that the 2023 World Cup being hosted in [[Rourkela]] was made possible by Kindo. According to Tirkey, even though Michael stopped playing decades ago, he never left his association with hockey. Kindo's colleagues from the 1975 gold team used to call him as ''kindi bhai''; they say that he never let the team's spirit go down. Among his team members, he was known as the gentleman defender who was calm-headed, clean-hearted and simple but was very effective in game. According to [[Ajit Pal Singh|Ajit Pal]], "We were an attacking side and a lot of us could do that fearlessly because we knew there were players like Michael defending our goal". Michael was one of the first tribals to represent independent India and is the only one to win a world cup. In his honor still today a famous hockey tournament is run by St Mary´s School  in the district of Simdega, known as ´Michael Tournament´. <ref name="ix1" /><ref name="fp1" /><ref name="fp2" /><ref name="msn" /><ref name="tc" /><ref name="ndtv" /><ref name="ix2" /><ref name="ix3" /><ref name="utk" />

{{Blockquote
|text=He protected the goal like he protected the territorial waters as an Indian Navy officer.
|author=[[Ashok Kumar (field hockey)|Ashok Kumar]]<ref name="fp2" />
}}

===Laurels===
'''List of all medals won and awards received'''
* Best [[Services Sports Control Board|Services]] Sportsman award — 1971
*[[File:Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg|link=]] Third place, [[1971 Men's Hockey World Cup|Barcelona Men's Hockey World Cup]] — 1971
*[[File:Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg|link=]] 3rd position (Bronze), [[Field hockey at the 1972 Summer Olympics|Munich Summer Olympics]] — 1972
*[[File:Circle-icons-trophy.svg|17px|link=]] [[Arjuna Award]] — 1972
*[[File:Silver medal icon (S initial).svg|link=]] Runner-up, [[1973 Men's Hockey World Cup|Amstelveen Men's Hockey World Cup]] — 1973
*[[File:Silver medal icon (S initial).svg|link=]] 2nd position (Silver), [[Field hockey at the 1974 Asian Games|Tehran Asian Games]] — 1974
*[[File:Gold medal icon (G initial).svg|link=]] Winner, [[1975 Men's Hockey World Cup|Kuala Lumpur Men's Hockey World Cup]] — 1975
<small>Source: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/michael-kindo-was-a-gentleman-a-pillar-of-strength-ajitpal-singh/articleshow/80056067.cms Times of India],<ref name="toi" /> [https://stick2hockey.com/hockey-player/michael-kindo/ Stick2Hockey]<ref name="s2h" />
</small>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Sports reference}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817121150/http://www.rediff.com/millenni/cedric.htm |date=17 August 2007 |title=Michael Kindo at Rediff.com}}
* {{webarchive |date=2012-11-11 |url=https://archive.today/20121111093712/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MICHAKIN01 |title=Michael Kindo at DatabaseOlympics.com}}


{{Navboxes	
|title=India squads
| bg = #0077FF
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|list1=
{{India FH Squad 1971 World Cup}}
{{India FH Squad 1972 Summer Olympics}}
{{India FH Squad 1973 World Cup}}
{{India FH Squad 1975 World Cup}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindo, Michael}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Simdega district]]
[[Category:People from Rourkela]]
[[Category:Field hockey players from Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Field hockey players from Odisha]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]
[[Category:Field hockey players at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Indian male field hockey players]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in field hockey]]
[[Category:Olympic field hockey players for India]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for India]]