Once upon a time, Indian hockey used to be a great story full of glories; now, it is nothing but a tale of missed chances and ironies, if not gories. For a few moments, yes, when the autocratic reign of KPS Gill and his cronies was brought to an end, there were cheers and a silver lining of hope. Since then, however, the dark clouds of gloom, if not anarchy, are again gathering mass. True, the storm is yet to break but one can clearly hear the roll of thunder and further devastation ahead.
There is one piece of good news in this depressing scenario though: the performance of the team itself. After a heartening show in the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia, the juniors have come and won the Asia Cup too in style. Thanks to Doordarshan, one could not see the action; its idea of national importance clearly revolves around making money for itself. But it is claimed that the boys were spectacular.
Yes, there were accusations that some of the players were over-aged; but it may not be wrong to conclude that Indian hockey is still alive and kicking at the embryonic level.
Somebody has to just ensure that these boys make a smooth transition to the senior level too; if they continue to be Asia-beaters, if not world-beaters, there is still some hope. That is, however, not an accident waiting to happen.
It is up to the Indian Olympic Association to do something. It may have moved with amazing alacrity to sack Gill and his IHF; but it is not showing the same speed while doing the real job: giving direction to the game.
The IOA big bosses, however, demonstrated their brinkmanship skills by winning the right to host yet another mega event. But is the World Cup really the salve for Indian hockey? Or is it just another balm to soothe itching palms?
Over the last week, during the AHF meet in Hyderabad, two things stood out for their comical effect. One was the presence of Gill himself; and the other was the way the entire Ric Charlesworth story unfolded.
It’s true that Gill had been elected vice-president in a true and democratic way; but did he not gain that position only because he was representing the IHF? So, if he is not part of the IHF anymore, doesn’t it mean he should give up this privilege too?
That is anyway a question that Gill’s pride and ego alone can answer. Charlesworth, though, hasn’t shown much of either in his own brief affair with Indian hockey. For many, he was the messiah with all the tricks to stem our decline.
He himself had shown lot of interest in being part of the Indian plan; in fact, he told each and sundry that he wanted to save the game in our country. He even offered to work for free, at one stage.
As the IHF dithered and the team withered, the International Hockey Federation imposed him on India. He was made an important component of ‘Project India’ and the 2010 World Cup too was tied to him. He took charge and, according to vested accusations, simply billed it.
It is true that many in the hockey circles didn’t want him; he was kept away from the senior Indian team too, which is what he really wanted. But the point is: when he got the opportunity, and enough money too, why didn’t he take the job seriously?
Why has he abandoned everything at the first chance? Is it really because everything is wrong with the Indian system? Is the ad hoc body as irrelevant and selfish as the previous regime? If yes, this would rank as the mother of all ironies even in Indian hockey.