Times of India: Dilip Tirkey bids to bring tribals back to hockey

By Krishnakanta Chakraborty

CHENNAI: Former India hockey captain Dilip Tirkey led the Indian defence against top sides during his playing days. Now, the Rajya Sabha MP is spearheading an Odisha state government campaign which is urging the tribal youth to take up hockey instead of being lured by Maoist forces.

“The Maoists, in some pockets of Odisha, are very strong and they always look to increase their numbers. We have so many talented hockey players, but many of them are forced to pick up guns instead of hockey sticks. It has a lot to do with the poverty and the lack of education in the region,” Tirkey told TOI on Friday.

To give the youth the flavour of competitive hockey, the Odisha government has decided to conduct the Biju Patnaik Rural Hockey Championship across 32 venues in three states – Odisha, Jhakhand and Chattisgarh – from December 10. It will involve approximately 30,000 youths and 1750 teams in which many young tribals will take part. Vice-president Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the championship. “The rural hockey tournament will attract the youth and I hope it is a step in the right direction,” Tirkey said.

Sundargarh, one of the nerve centres of Indian hockey, has been badly affected by Maoist infiltration. The area has produced quite a few players who have represented India at the national level. In fact, at least a dozen from the region still play national-level hockey at the moment. Tirkey says the people should be made aware of their hockey tradition.

“We are trying to make them understand that there is another world which offers them a job, security, financial stability and a much better social life. They are naturally talented and just need proper grooming to make it big in hockey. We have several hockey academies in the state and the famous one in Panposh has produced so many world-class players. It’s a Herculean task for us but we are making sincere efforts and are hoping the situation will change soon,” Tirkey, who is himself a tribal from Sundargarh, said.

The former star has been a huge inspiration for budding hockey players in Sundargarh. It was chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s idea to have him lead the programme. “I have achieved everything in life because of hockey and I must give it back to society. I want to make my people understand that if I could achieve so much through the sport, so can they. I’m sure our initiative will have a huge impact on the society,” Tirkey said.