Aslam Sher Khan, a former Indian hockey player, was a member of the Indian team. In the 1975 World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur, Aslam Sher Khan won the gold medal. He as a member of Indian team also participated for Munich Olympics held in the year1972. Aslam Sher Khan has also been a Congress Member of Parliament and a Union Minister as well. In December 1997, Aslam Sher Khan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has also authored an autobiography, `To Hell with Hockey`.
Early Life of Aslam Sher Khan
Aslam Sher Khan was born on 15th July 1953 to father Late Shri Ahmed Sher Khan and mother Ahmedi in Bhopal. His father Ahmed Sher Khan has represented India in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics along with the legendary wizard of hockey, Dhyan Chand. As he said in his autobiography about his grandfather`s saying, "Your father had a streak of madness in him, Like you, he had a great obsession for hockey. He made your mother promise that if they had a son, she would bring him up to be a hockey player." Ahmed Sher Khan was the coach of Aslam`s school but never selected Aslam to play for the school team. When he asked his father about this thing replied back with the words "you still have a lot to learn." Aslam has done his B.Sc. from Saifia College, Bhopal. On 25th October 1981, Aslam married to Smt. Rehana Sher Khan, with whom he has two sons.
Career of Aslam Sher Khan
In the year 1966, he was called up for the All India schools hockey camp at Bhopal. But his father fell ill at that time. But inspite of the illness his father insisted that he go for the camp. That reverberated like an order to him and he went to join the camp. He was selected in the All-India schools hockey team as a forward under the famous hockey player Roop Singh, who played with his father in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Hearing this selection news, his father went on crying. At the tender age of 13, Ahmed Sher passed away. At this teenage, Aslam Sher Khan`s ambition was to represent his own country in hockey in the Olympics like his father.
Aslam Sher Khan has played hockey in full back position. He later joined politics and was elected to Lok Sabha. He was a member of national hockey selection committee. By profession, Aslam Sher Khan is an agriculturist and Sportsman.
After the Indian Hockey Federation was suspended in April 2008, Khan was selected to head a new committee created by the Indian Olympic Association to organize hockey in India. This panel will work in conjunction with the International Field Hockey Federation. The panel also includes Ashok Kumar, Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, and Dhanraj Pillay.