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Nikhil Nandy Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

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Height: 5' 3"
Hometown: Kolkata
Death Date: 29/12/2020

Nikhil Nandy

Bio/Wiki
Full nameNikhil Kumar Nandy
Other nameNikhil Nandi [1]West Bengal Government
Nickname(s)• Human Dynamo
• Mishu
Profession(s)• Footballer (Defender)
• Football coach
Famous forBeing a member of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics Indian football team
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)5' 3" (161 cm)
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Football
International Debut1953 Asian Quadrangular Tournament in Burma (now Myanmar)
Domestic/State Team• East Railway
• Bengal
Coach/MentorBagha Shome
PositionHalf-back
Awards, Honours, Achievements • Vayoshrestha Samman under sports category in 2006
Nikhil Nandy being given Vayoshrestha Samman by Meira Kumar (left)
• Honoured by Dr. M.S. Gill (the-Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports) in 2009
Nikhil Nandy being honoured by MS Gill (left)
Personal Life
Date of BirthSource 1: 1 February 1929 (Friday) [2]Government of West Bengal
Source 2: Year, 1932
BirthplaceKolkata, West Bengal, India (then Bengal, British India)
Date of Death29 December 2020
Place of Death14B-/2 Dum Dum Road, Nager Bazar, Kolkata 74
Age (at the time of death)Source 1: 91 Years
Source 2: 88 Years
Death CauseIllness due to COVID-19
NationalityIndian
HometownKolkata
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Married
Family
Wife/SpouseNikhil Nandy with his wife
ChildrenSon- Samir Nandy
Daughter- 2
ParentsFather- Gopalchandra Nandi (bodybuilder)
SiblingsBrother- 4
• Ajit Nandy (elder)
• Santosh Nandy (elder, football player)
• Anil Nandy (elder, football player)
• Sunil Nandy (youngest)
Other RelativesGrandaughter- Tina
Granddaughter of Nikhil Nandy, Tina

Nikhil Nandy

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nikhil Nandy

  • Nikhil Nandy started playing football at an early age with his brother at his home.
  • Reportedly, he was excluded from the Indian football team for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics which made him sad. The next day, he vowed in front of his family that he would get selected for the 1956 Olympic team at any cost.
  • He was a member of the Bengal team that won the Santosh Trophy in 1955.

    Nikhil Nandy (right) tackling PK Banerjee during a football match

    Nikhil Nandy (right) tackling PK Banerjee during a football match

  • Nikhil Nandy was a member of the famous Indian football team that finished 4th in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics; those years are also known as the Golden Era of Indian Football.

    Indian football squad of 1956 Melbourne Olympics

    Indian football squad of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics

  • In April 2024, a Bollywood film ‘Maidaan’ was released which featured Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, the coach of the Indian football team which qualified for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
  • He also helped the Indian team to enter the semi-finals of the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo.
  • In 1958, he won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) as a member of the Eastern Railway team.

    Nikhil Nandy (extreme left) during a match for Eastern Railways

    Nikhil Nandy (extreme left) during a match for Eastern Railways

  • After retiring from football, he became a coach. He also served as joint coach (with J. Krishnaswamy) of the Indian football team for several years.
  • He continued giving free football training to teenagers in Kolkata at a local ground in Kolkata.

    Nikhil Nandy during a coaching session

    Nikhil Nandy during a coaching session

  • In 2003, he underwent treatment at SSKM Hospital, Kolkata for prostate gland problems.

    Nikhil Nandy during his treatment in 2003

    Nikhil Nandy during his treatment in 2003

  • Nandy once said that he and other footballers of his era were not given enough credit for their achievements and felt that they were not managed properly by the Indian football management.
  • In 2009, he received a cheque of Rs 25,000 from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). A few days before receiving the cheques, they had requested a pension and railway gold pass for ex-Olympians and ex-Indian international players
  • A few days after receiving the cheques, he, along with Badru Banerjee and Tulsidas Balaram held a press conference and returned the cheque as a protest. [3]Mohun Bagan Club
  • He was a celebrated figure in the Kolkata football circuit and was often invited as chief guest in many tournaments.

    Nikhil Nandy with Sourav Ganguly during a tournament

    Nikhil Nandy with Sourav Ganguly during a tournament

  • He developed Dementia during his late 70s due to which his family members often had to constraint him to home.

    Photos of Nikhil Nandy taken at his home

    Photos of Nikhil Nandy taken at his home

  • In September 2021, Nikhil Nandy contracted COVID-19 due to which he developed some renal problems. He was hospitalised for a month and later returned to his home but his treatment was continued. His body later stopped responding to the treatment, and he died on 29 December 2020.

    A photo of Nikhil Nandy taken few days before his death

    A photo of Nikhil Nandy taken a few days before his death

  • He and his elder brothers have represented India in the Olympics. His brothers, Santosh and Anil, played in the 1948 London Olympics, and he played in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
  • Nikhil Nandy liked calling himself ‘a man of maidan.’