There is an ease with which maestros imprint lessons on those watching them.

The respect with which cricket ace GR Viswanath met hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr. (who passed away on Monday) showed that an athlete's greatness can be measured by not only his sporting achievements but also the impact on champions from other disciplines. Born six months after Balbir Singh Sr. won the first of his three Olympic gold in 1948, Viswanath was simply in awe of independent India's first hero.