Hockey is selling like hot potato these days in media. With Cricket out of news for the time being, Hockey debacle is the most recent thing that is being talked about almost by everyone. When India won last time, how many tournaments India plays in a year, where all does India travel to play Hockey, a person may not know all this but he knows a few names, for sure: KPS Gill, Jyothikumaran, Batra, Joaquim Carvalho. To top it all, everyone, yet again, in wrong limelight!

All credit to media! It is selling everything that can be sold. Easiest possible selling item is to label a few for some debacle and then crucify them. I mean, they were the same people a few days back! Was everyone waiting for the debacle to happen to actually realize that Gill and company are responsible for the debacle? The answer is a sad ‘Yes’.

Dude, Gill has been there for 14 years? He has created a system that has not voted him out of power since then! Every system is a reflection of how the audience is. Hockey lacks professionalism and so does its management. The unprofessional functioning of the system is being sold by the Media. Remember last year when India won the Asia Cup, I don’t even remember reading about it these many days as I am reading about the debacle. The simple point is: Hockey win doesn’t sell much but a Hockey failure does sell a lot!

A few months back, I was told by someone, “Boodhe sher (i.e. Gill) par kab tak kankad maarke kab tak news banayoge? (Till when can you generate news by pelting the old lion,i.e. Gill). The public is tired of negative publicity of the game.”

The fact is: a thing that gives too much negative thoughts to the mind of a reader becomes painful and they prefer to refrain from it. This is what our media has done to Hockey. Over and over negative publicity, internal rivarly amongst the stalwarts, personalized criticism of Hockey players and coaches has spoiled everything for the game.

If you are really concerned about Indian Hockey and have a selfless desire for the upliftment of the game why not create a organized team of representatives, get into deep slush, dirty yourself as well and start off the clean up. I may be making a strong statement: Hockey academicians are scared of getting into the slush.

A few years back, I read that some Olympians got together and approached the President to disban the IHF and reconstitute it. Hello Sir?, it’s understood that you have concern for the game but clearly visible is the fact that’s not the way you can clean up the system. An autonomous body has one person heading it and he has become a dictator. Problem is not him, problem is you who being in Hockey for so many years haven’t been able to remove him by the democratic means.

See the politics of Hockey:

– Selectors have a strong lobby amongst themselves. They can go to any extent in that.

– Everyone who get into coaching wants tries things ‘his way’. It may work for some time. All this while everyone is waiting for him to fail and then crucify him taking the media way. No one comes out in support of such a bealeagured coach.

– Even in the selection of players at the state levels, major trafficing happens.

– Rajpal Singh says things in the press from Australia. Hello? I think media should have forgiven him for his statement, should have spared Hockey for that particular day and shouldn’t have printed it all! For my dears readers it did nothing but, yet again, brought a bad name to the game as to how things are handled in Hockey.

Our game is being handled this way and, rightly, you have a similar person heading the federation, who doesn’t buckle under media pressure.

Coming to the topic that has sparked the whole ‘hangama’, it’s not because of Gill that the team lost. 11 players when they play and they win or loose, it’s not because of Gill! I can give you 10 reasons why the team failed to perform and all of them remain exclusive of Gill. So, I don’t buy the argument of sacking Gill and things will improve.

It’s, yet again, a personalised attack on a person. I pray that your wishes are granted but I do fear that you may be praying the same a few years down the line.

Ric Charlesworth will not be able to create wonders if the ambassadors of Indian Hockey don’t start believing in ‘Professional Approach’. He may end up his endeavour with us by saying that Indians are difficult to work with.

I can only hope that there is some way to clean up the slush without dirtying yourself.

Please note: With due respect for each professional who has dreamt of Indian Hockey every night of his life, I want to tell that I also love to see Indian Hockey and players excel. I have watched matches in the middle of the night. However, I strongly feel ‘we’ ourselves are responsible for where ‘we’ are. No point in blaming a person per say in this matter. I don’t watch much Cricket these days, but if all you feel that Cricket is what sells in this country it’s only because of the whole system that they have developed around the 2 words – Professional Approach.

If at all, you want to clean the system come into the fray, cover yourself in slush, I will pray for you, gather support for you by going onto the streets and will tell my children tomorrow that Mr. X did something for Indian Hockey keeping aside all his personal interests and rivarly, rose over it and did something that changed the face of the game.