Ahmedabad: ‘My life is an open book’

Former hockey player and coach Mir Ranjan Negi talks about success, failure and hockey

He has experienced it all — success, failure, pain, rejection and adulation. Sounds difficult to believe. But that’s the life of former hockey player and coach Mir Ranjan Negi. After India lost 7-0 to Pakistan in the 1982 Asiad games, Negi went through harrowing time for 25 long years. It’s not easy to live with the tag of a ‘traitor.’ But as a true sportsman, he refused to call it quits. He fought back and coached the women’s hockey team which won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. And there started the story of Chak de! India, the film which changed Negi’s life in more than one way.

The days of pain and agony are over now. So also day of gloom. It’s time for him to bask in glory. Now, youngsters run after him at airports and hotels to get his autograph. And he’s shared all this in his recently published book From Gloom To Glory.

Talking about his long journey, he says, “It’s a long battle with both failure and success. In the end, it’s a satisfying journey. I really can’t talk of losses and gains. But I must say, my life has changed completely. I never thought that my life would take this 360 degree turn. But it actually happened and it’s simply incredible.”

For a student of English Literature, writing always came naturally and quite easily to him. “I have been writing my diary regularly since 1977. I have also maintained a scrapbook for many years. So, it was not difficult for me to write the book. I always had my diaries to go back, to refer to.”

Does he ever now think how different his life would have been without Chak De? He laughs and says, “Chak De! was a cathartic experience. It all came back to me. The pain, the agony all came back to me. I once again lived through those moments of joy and pain. Today my life is an open book.”

Talking about life since the release of Chak De, he says, “The film changed my life completely. I realised the power of media. Then Jhalak Dikh La Ja, the dance reality show happened. I had never faced the camera. But so many people supported me and it was a very humbling experience.”

So how does he define success? He replies, “Success can’t be measured. Success is also about from where you started your journey in life. I feel, success is all about overcoming hurdles in life and conquering new heights.”

Today, it’s a different story for him. As they say, success changes everything. Even as life looks all exciting for him, ask him about his dreams, he says, “My dream is to give back hockey its lost glory. I want to bring glamour and money in hockey . So that more youngsters take pride in playing hockey . I want more visibility for India’s national game. I want more hock ey players as icons.”