Hockey players a harried lot; Astroturf gathers dust

Some residents of Gurdaspur tear the turf to use pieces as door mats!

Ravi Dhaliwal

Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection we can attain excellence. However, hockey players in Gurdaspur can neither afford to chase perfection nor can they attain excellence as the six-a-side Astroturf gifted by the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) authorities about two years ago is lying in a state of disuse at the Government College ground.

This district is known as a conveyer belt for producing top class hockey players. However, what is irking the game’s fans is that once youngsters of the region graduate to playing on the artificial surface, they are left with little option except to migrate to neighbouring cities including Jalandhar and Amritsar to hone their skills because the only turf lying with the Gurdaspur District Hockey Association (GDHA), courtesy GNDU, is slowly being cut to pieces by local residents who prefer to use it as door mats!

Gurdaspur district is known for giving the country top drawer players like Mukhbain Singh (1972 Munich Olympics), Surjit Singh (1973 Amsterdam and 1975 Kuala Lumpur World cups,1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics), Col Harcharan Singh (1973 and 1975 World cups,1972 and 1976 Olympics), Prabhjot Singh (2004 Athens Olympics) and Sukhjit Singh Cheema (1992 Barcelona Olympics). On the distaff side, women who have earned accolades are Shashi Bala who captained the country in the 1998 Utretch world cup, former District Sports Officer Uma Jaggi who played International matches in 1975, Amandeep Kaur who was a member of team that garnered the gold in the New Delhi Commonwealth games and internationals Preetinder Rana and Sukhwinder Sukhi.

The rich history of the game notwithstanding, the GDHA is finding it’s hands tied to its back as far as laying the turf is concerned. Amarjit Sandhu, Secretary GDHA, claimed, “the Punjab Sports Department promised to pay the District Sports Officer (DSO) Rs 7 lakh but the money never materialised as the authorities were made to concentrate on the World Cup Kabaddi matches leaving the turf nobody’s baby.”

The 44 by 22 yard surface is not only gathering dust and grime in equal measure but, shockingly, residents are playing their own role by slashing the turf with knives and using it as door mats. “Incredible India,” rues Amarjit Sandhu on the development.

The Sri Guru Arjan Dev Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Dhariwal, which has been winning the District championship for the past 25 years, is ready to get the turf laid and with it the requisite sprinkler system. However, due to some inexplicable reason the GDHA is reluctant to give the turf to the school.