K ARUMUGAM
About three weeks after the Paris Olympics, Hockey India announced hosting of Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir, a historic city 110 km south of Bihar’s capital Patna. Bihar has been developing a ultra model Sports City in Rajgir with provision for Sports University, Academies etc. and stadium for both indoor and outdoor sports.
Mr. Nitish Kumar, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar, inaugurated the synthetic hockey turf ground. On that occasion two women’s hockey teams played an exhibition match. One was led by goalkeeper Savita and the other by emerging star and present captain Salima Tete.
It was before the exhibition match coach Harendra Singh and Dr. Dilip Tirkey, President of Hockey India, found the turf is not properly laid out or faced some technical issues. Suffice to say the surface was not conducive for a danger-free hockey match, that too, international one where every player gives their best to achieve victory.
It was politely agreed to complete the exhibition match with an assurance from BSSA that they would replace the turf on time for the forthcoming first-ever international hockey in Bihar. Entire women hockey players cooperated and the event was completed.
Now, hardly 7 weeks left for WACT. A commitment has been made and it has to be done. It normally takes months and months for processing papers in Indian bureaucratic system. The process normally gets delayed if severe finances are involved, which the turf issue has abuntantly.
However, it was left to Raveendran Shankaran, CEO of the Rajgir Sports Complex, to solve the issue. The issue is the turf that had been laid a couple of months has to be replaced with new one. And, as we all know India does not manufacture synthetic hockey turf. It has to be imported either from China, Netherlands or Germany. No other way.
The turf that had problem was imported from China following due codal processes. With no time left for those cumbersome process, Raveendran convinced an Indian agent for the turf manufacturer to start the work pending paper works. On oral assurance and faith, the relaying work commenced, as the agent could manage turf very quickly. The old turf was taken out and kept separately as BSSA would lay another turf nearby, which was already in the plan.
The new turf arrived within a month, the laying process took a week. Thus, in a record 36 days the fresh ground with the same turf brand that was used in Paris in place.
It was gathered all the paper works are still pending while the WACT went on smoothly.
Perhaps its the shortest time a turf was relaid in India, a country notorious for its administrative delays and stubborn bureaucracy.
When queried about the condition of the new turf, every player wondered how it had become so smooth!