K. ARUMUGAM
Indian hockey is one hundred years old. The hockey fraternity is celebrating the momentous occasion in a grand way, involving grassroots matches in more than 600 districts. It culminates into a mega show of glory today at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, New Delhi, today. With highest number of Olympic medals – 8 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze- it has become its national game whose feats and defeats impacting sizeable chunk of Indian populace.
Unique achievement of Indian hockey cannot be measured in terms of medals, though it is an integral part. Actual role the game played in the making of Indian nationhood is significant. The vast nation, adopted the game which was just confined to cantonments and converted into an art form.
Ever- green Dhyan Chand
Two early developments, both visits to foreign nations, was strong and authentic that the nation was identified with hockey. A combined Indian Army team visited New Zealand in 1926 and then made a one-and-half month tour of England and Europe before the start of Amsterdam.
The Indians, especially its forwards like Dhyan Chand, got the imagination of the world with their unique ability to possess the ball and use this to amaze the traditional hockey powers. Even in the colonial era, Indian civils took up the game in a big way, and the Non Resident Indians in Europe and elsewhere too followed their footprints.
This was how three students studying in England could make it to the Amsterdam Olympics in the Indian hockey team.
Indian hockey is what it its today is because of great legends it was able to produce almost regularly. Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh, Richard Allen, Balbir Singh Sr, RS Gentle, KD Singh Babu, Babu Nimal, Prithipal Singh, Gurbux Singh, Shankar Laxman, Udham Singh, Leslie Claudius, all the first and second generation great set such a benchmark the sport can never ease to exist.