Ali Dara (1915–1981) was a field hockey player from the Indian subcontinent who represented India during the period when the team dominated international hockey in the 1930s and 1940s. He is remembered as one of the prolific forwards of his generation, playing alongside legends such as Dhyan Chand.
| Full name | Ali Dara |
|---|---|
| Born | 1915 |
| Died | 1981 |
| Sport | Field hockey |
| Country represented | India (pre-Partition) |
| Era | 1930s–1940s |
Ali Dara played for the Indian national hockey team during one of the most successful phases of Indian hockey. He was part of the Indian squad that toured internationally in the late 1930s, a period in which India established itself as the leading force in world field hockey under the captaincy of Dhyan Chand.
He was a member of the Indian team at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, where India won the gold medal, defeating Germany in the final. The Berlin tournament is widely regarded as a high point of pre-Independence Indian hockey, with the team going through the competition undefeated.
Dara is counted among the cohort of subcontinental hockey players whose performances in the 1930s helped to shape the global reputation of Indian hockey. After the Partition of India in 1947, several players of his generation became part of the cricketing and hockey traditions of both India and Pakistan, and Dara is often referenced in histories that trace the roots of hockey in the region.