K ARUMUGAM
Indian hockey is celebrating its Centenary year. What started as a humble beginning for the Indian Hockey Federation in 1925 had become a legend itself. The IHF or present dispensation, Hockey India, presented India a pristine sports, which alone stood torchbearer for its glorious Olympic Movement. Hockey had been the lone medal hope for India for nearly the first eight decades. Its actually the players who transformed a run-of-the mill sport into an art form. No doubt on that. Howeer, the players were ably supported by a legion of dedicated backroom movers and shakers. It includes pioneering administrators, umpires, coaches, institutions (that provided jobs and kept the sport surviving even in the long ending lean seasons), ardent fans in and outside Indian subcontinent.
Their services to make Indian hockey its national game need to be recognized.
We are very much delighted to see at least 50 former greats when the Hockey India celebrated 100 years of Indian Hockey at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on 7th of November. Nothing was so graceful to see the likes of Gurbux Singh (the oldest living Indian hockey Olympian), World Cup heroes Ashok Kumar, BP Govinda, Aslam Sher Khan among others. Moscow Olympic gold medallist MM Somaya, Mervyn Fernandes, Zafar Iqbal were also graced the occasion, though one longed for Moscow Olympic captain V Baskaran and ever-green Dhanraj Pillay.
what more
But at the same time, we have a legion of backroom movers and shakers who built the Indian hockey castle out of which these stars emerged — and many more will be emerging.
Most of them are alive. We need to involve and felicitate them too.
Some names that flashes my mind include leading coaches who did not get any government recognition like Dronocharya etc, tournament organizers over six decades, umpires who did duty in a couple of FIH’s flagship events like Olympics, World Cup, Pro-League etc.
Hockey India being the sport’s governing body — and by and large generous in its player-oriented attitude — should try to embrace these contributors too.
Some names that flashes include: