India Rio: Performance can transform India from Rajdhani to Bullet Train
‘Don’t allow Indians on our soils’ pressed a Right wing organization in the ‘Whites Only’ New Zealand of 1930s, even threatening street protest if allowed. Three months later, and after three international matches and 30 friendlies in the course of two-month long tour of Dhyan Chand’s Indian Army team, the wings of the Rights were clipped.
The visitors mesmerised and endeared the New Zealanders so much so that they made record profit – in the scale of Kabali — on gate collection while a new world of hockey professed by the unwanted guests came to be recognized as superb, unimaginable, intelligent and irrevocable…..
How the Indians were adulated is an oft repeated refrain.
In short, it is performance that turned a hostile nation benign.
Much water has swayed down the Pacific since then. But the universal truth that its performance that counts on sports fields, stays.
Indians are no longer teachers of the game of 1930s, but learners.
They don’t carry any aura, instead burdened by the weight of history.
Indians did not win an Olympic Medal on synthetic turf era except depleted Moscow.
It’s a long time: 1972 to present.
Since 44 years (barring Moscow), Indians buckled under nation’s pressure, losing easy opening encounters, shamelessly failing against much lesser rivals in crucial stages. To Russia in 1988, Poland 12 years later, stand out.
Hockey India, which replaced Indian Hockey Federation – under whose ambit India won all its 11 Olympic medals and then went on not to even qualify for Beijing number – is in a precarious situation.
Its money power and organizational acumen brought tournaments to our shores in trove, lavished money on global players in the new avtar, Hockey India League, but at the same time it is also under scrutiny.
While the world at large is receptive to India’s glut, a miniscule few complain exactly the above and feel India gets advantage, hosting rights get the team easy ranking points, giving in the process not so level playing fields to others in the FIH fraternity.
London gave a fitting reply to those few. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer.
On the other side, Indian corporate giants, barring Hero MotoCorp, doesn’t take hockey seriously.
Profile of HIL Franchise is the telling example.
PR Sreejesh’s boys hold the key to future of Indian hockey.
Its their performance in Rio that can silence Indian hockey’s money power talk, pull giant corporates to its programs and fast track hockey’s progress.
Hockey India converted Passenger Train Indian hockey into a comfortable and convenient fast track Rajdhani.
But need of the hour is Bullet Train.
Its only performance on the turf that can ensure that.
The carefully nurtured 16 players, who are provided with all the needs and creature comforts, exposure, high-end training unlike those of grass era counterparts, can transform Indian hockey to what it yearns for, and deserves.
Its not certainly a performance or perish situation, simply because of Indian clout in the international scenario.
This situation cannot go on.
The game has to evolve its own profile, pull full crowd beyond Pak encounters, attract corporate giants, make players stars, of others in the playing community seeking their autographs not vice versa.
The time has come for Indian men’s hockey.
Will the sixteen succeed is a million dollar question?