Starting from Today, we serialize K. Arumugam’s Olympic Captain Dilip Tirkey’ book. The book was written in the early 2004, shortly after India won three out of four tournaments it played in 2003. This serial will consists of about 15 parts
Dilip is the world’s most capped player. This serial is the way this site salute rs the greatest hockey player of our times. Visitors are requested to put their views in the message board below the article — Editor
Part I: A NEW DAWN
A NEW DAWIN
Indian street children were the indirect cause of the conversion of the game’s ‘jolly hockey sticks’ image to that of a highly respected competitive sport.
Thus wrote M.K. Howells in his magnum opus, Romance of Hockey History, while giving his global perspectives on evolution of hockey as a mass sport. Howells’ view in his well-researched history book proves how ordinary, unassuming boys, low on facilities but high on talent, changed the face of hockey on world stage.
Howells’ observation could not have been more true than in case of Dilip Tirkey, a tribal from a nondescript, remote village, who in a short span of time rose to become the sporting icon in India. His village had no proper hockey grounds nor could his parents indulge their wards.
Benefitting from a government scheme that came in time, the naturally endowed Dilip Tirkey, with focus and dedication, hurdled over many obstacles to realise his potential. His profile might not exactly match a rag-to-riches stories of the Brazililian footballers, but in the Indian context, his rise to fame is no less a folk fore stuff
BEST DEFENDER IN THE WORLD
Dilip Tirkey is hockey’s shining star, second most senior of the Dream Hockey Team 2003 that won four of the six tournaments it played. He is widely acclaimed as one of the best defenders in the world.
With his quality game, Dilip Tirkey prevents the rival teams from scoring goals. As a penalty corner expert, he also scores goals for India at crucial times. India have won many matches due to superb exhibition of such a dual role — defender and goal scorer – by him.
All coaches who trained India from 1995 onwards readily kept him in the team. He was hardly given rest from any tournament, and certainly not during the matches. He has proven to be the backbone of the team.
A TOP NOTCH ACHIEVER
Dilip Tirkey’s achievements are many. He played in the Senior National Championship at the age of 15, first senior international tournament at 17 and was the youngest member of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic hockey team. Dilip is the first — and so far the only — tribal to captain a hockey team in Independent India. He made the quickest century of international appearances, another record. He had won his 100th cap in just three years after international debut in 1995.
The Government of India presented him the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2002, only the second tribal after Michael Kindo to be so honoured. He is the only tribal player to be decorated with President of India’s top civilian honour `Padam Sri’. Dilip is the first tribal to join the top notch Indian Airlines team.
He has never been dropped in eight years between 1996 and 2003, only player to enjoy such a long, unbroken spell. He is on the verge making another milestone — only second Indian to compete in 300 international matches. He was declared ‘Best Player’ of both 1999 National Championship and 1998 India-Pakistan Test series.
He is also the only hockey player to win the gold at both Asian Games and the Afro-Asian Games. An eminent journalist group constituted by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) included Dilip as one of the 10 nominees for the prestigious ‘FIH Player of the Year 2003’ award, thus becoming the lone Indian defender to be nominated for the prestigious honour since the inception of the award in 1998.
To be continued
Note: Kindly bear in mind the book was written in 2004, many other things have come to occupy Dilip Tirkey’s illustrious career. We will summarize them in the last part of the series.