PG George: A champion on the track and in life

KOCHI: The recounts the story of her late father, P G George, an accomplished sportsperson best known for his historic feat in the 1944 Indian Olympic Games held in Lahore. This ‘Madrasi’ (as North Indians refer to anyone from the south of the Vindhya Mountains) tore up the track with astonishing pace, outran the then-champion Gurbachan Singh, and clinched three gold medals — in 100m, 200m, and 400m races. One would presume that this triumph alone would have etched George’s name in the annals of the country’s sports history.

Sadly, that is not the case. This book, then, is Shirley’s attempt to bring her father’s legacy to the fore, an endeavour that assumes great significance given the uncoupling of sports from social consciousness, especially in Kerala. From just a glance at the cover photo, it is evident that The Champions Lives On is a sports book.

A young, handsome George adorns the cover photo, and before him, a table laden with trophies. The title too implies the sports angle. However, readers will be dismayed to learn that only eleven pages are devoted to uncovering this treasured history, with the Lahore episode confined to just two.

The author is not to be blamed, for she is no sports historian, and this work is not a sports story, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, it is Shirley’s touching tribute to her father, who was undoubtedly a champion, as much in life as in sports. Consider this book then as a personal invitation to a fireside chat comprising George’s friends and family.

With each page, we are introduced to key circumstances that changed his life, the weight of the decisions he had to make, and how he played the cards he was dealt without robbing the table of laughter. In essence, how George built a home, a family and a community. Believe me, it is no easy thing.

For it often always exacts a huge personal toll, one which many are reluctant to bear. For George, it came in 1944, shortly after his triumph in Lahore. Impressed by his feat, Yadavindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, who was the then-president of the All India Olympic Association, offered him the job of aide-de-camp for the royal family.

He also agreed to make arrangements so George could train for the upcoming World Olympics in London. However, the sprinter had to turn it down due to his father’s failing health and financial difficulties at home. As the eldest son, George felt it was his duty to be there for his family.

“Once this decision was made, George never looked back in regret. Instead, he looked forward to other matters that he was destined for,” the book reads. While the incident portrays George’s magnanimity, it also highlights the burden that befalls the eldest sons in Kerala’s rural settings.

Shirley does not aim to elaborate much on this Kerala background. There is a convenient smattering of details, but not enough to seamlessly build a landscape of the home state. Before this chapter can develop further, we are whisked away to New Delhi, where George has begun a career with Indian Airlines.

The subsequent chapters paint George as a larger-than-life figure in a slew of settings. We are told than shown his many traits. We want to believe them, for we have grown so endeared to George by now.

However, the story has gathered pace, and pages are fast running out. In the race of his life, where it matters most, George was an accomplished sportsperson, a ‘Karmayogi’ with Indian Airlines, a loving husband and family man, and a caring grandfather. A champion.

This book is a tender tribute to this great man and must be cherished! I bet there are trophies and certificates of grandparents locked away in suitcases and drawers in each home. Shirley’s book, then, is also a reminder for us to acknowledge and celebrate the sacrifices of our near and dear ones that paved the way for our success today. Shirley Mathew is an established visual artist in Bengaluru.

She graduated in Psychology (Hons) from Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi, and later opted for intensive studies in art at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in the US. (The views expressed are personal).