K. ARUMUGAM

Just how did the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (WACT) arrive at the hitherto little-known town of Rajgir? Well, it took off at the airport in Paris.

It all happened when the Bihar State Government chose to send Shankar Raveendran as an observer to the Paris Olympics. While an official travelling to a mega event is not uncommon, it was striking that he made a sincere effort to make an impact during the sojourn. He visited every venue India played, enjoyed our wins, al the while studying every nuance that goes with sports organization.

Raveendran supporting Indian team at Paris Olympics

Then came the day of departure. A French embassy official dropped him off at the Paris airport and then proceeded to meet the Indian men’s hockey team also present there. However, Raveendran was unaware that his country’s hockey team was present at the airport. The embassy officer happened to reveal Raveendran’s presence to Hockey India (HI) officials accompanying the team, which drew immediate interest in a meeting with the Bihar official.

Raveendran, meanwhile, learned of the presence of the Indian team whom he loved watching, seldom missing viewing a match featuring the Men In Blue, wasted no time. He rushed to their lounge and surprised Hockey India officials including Dilip Tirkey, President, Bhola Nath, and treasurer Sekhar Manoharan. The trio were regulars at the Yves-du-Manoir, the hockey venue at the Paris Olympics, and were soon to build a good rapport.

Bhola Nath inquired about the Rajgir Sports Complex and whether it had an artificial surface. Raveendran nodded in the affirmative. Bhola Nath then mooted the idea of Rajgir hosting the WACT. Raveendran, during whose tenure the entire sports complex was conceptualized and executed, was pleasantly surprised at the idea of one of the venues of his pet project hosting an international tournament, and that under the Bihar banner.

All the effort of Bihar State Sports Authority bore fruits as thronging crowd stamped their approval

The budget estimate was then made known to him and matched that of other state governments hosting the event in the last two years.

Raveendran did not ask for any proposal or dodge it with a bureaucratic answer. He requested them for a few minutes, contacted the concerned authorities in the Bihar government, and duly got the nod. All in a couple of minutes, and at the airport! The rest was a formality.

A week later, the HI team presented the detailed proposal in the presence of the State’s top sports and financial officials in Patna. Within a week, an MoU with HI was signed. Within three weeks from that beautiful day at Paris,  Rajbir hosting an international event was announced officially.

Celebrating with Hockey India president, legend Dilip Tirkey

None other than the Chief Minister announced it at an exhibition match involving the Indian women’s teams. The announcement that Rajgir would open a new hockey chapter came on August 8, the day the curtain fell on the Paris Olympic event.

Ironically, the Indian women were absent in the French capital after a heartbreaking failure to qualify for the Games. But the new WACT venue would have enthused the Women in Blue who three months later are endearing themselves to a new legion of fans in the little-known Bihar town.