Cheque de India, says women’s hockey team

BANGALORE: In the Bollywood flick ‘Chak de India’, women hockey players overcome the indifference of their association and other adversities to lift the World Championship under the stellar leadership of coach Kabir Khan, memorably played by Shah Rukh Khan.

In the real version, players of the Indian women’s hockey team, incensed by Hockey India’s apathy, have decided to take things in their own hands. Four players opened a joint bank account in Bhopal on Wednesday to seek monetary contributions from the public to help players in distress.

The girls, outraged by the way Hockey India ignored their claims while rewarding the men’s team for its performance in 2009, said they had decided to help themselves than seek the federation’s help.

‘‘Our self-respect is far more important to us than the financial incentives,’’ a senior player told TOI. ‘‘Our prayers for rewards as well as better exposure tours have been rejected time and again. We’re not beggars. There’s no point in approaching Hockey India for help.’’

After having given away almost Rs 1 crore to the men’s team for its podium finishes in 2009, HI said on Tuesday that it couldn’t meet the demands of the women’s team owing to a severe cash crunch. ‘‘They would be compensated in due course but we cannot set a timeframe to it,’’ HI president Vidya Stokes told TOI.

On Wednesday, four seniors – Surinder Kaur, Dipika Murty, Mamta Kharb and Subhadra Pradhan – opened a joint account with the Syndicate Bank in Bhopal, with a mandate from other girls in the camp. They made token contributions, too, before requesting hockey-loving public to join the cause.

In the coming weeks, once the camp ends, the girls will start a fund in the name of Indian women’s hockey and register it. ‘‘We wanted to open the account in the name of women’s hockey but were told it would have to be registered. We did not have time for that. Once we open the fund, this account will dissolve. But our assurance to those who contribute is that their money will be used to help the needy among us,’’ the player said.

The team has contributed Rs 20,000 to a junior player whose relative is ill. Nothing new really as it has done this earlier as well, buying another junior player air tickets so that she could be with her ailing father. All this encapsulates the plight of the women’s team. With just about half of the 40-odd probables at the camp employed, others, particularly juniors, are virtually penniless. With the federation unable to provide financial incentives despite commendable achievements, the girls have found it difficult to make ends meet.

‘‘The girls come from very humble backgrounds. One girl’s father is a rickshaw puller, another’s a poor farmer. Their dream was too see the girls do well in the game. With no jobs and the game giving nothing in return, it isn’t easy surviving,’’ the player said.

The entire team will train under protest. ‘‘We’ll wear black armbands while practising. Hockey India is biased towards men’s hockey. The discrimination – not merely in terms of incentives but equipment and exposure tours – has made us feel that we are not part of HI,’’ she added.

The player contended that they were hard-hit by lack of exposure tours ahead of the Bangkok Asia Cup 2010 in the run-up to the World Cup in Argentina this year.