September 3, 2003: Four young men were admitted to Ludhiana’s Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital for injuries sustained in a car accident near Dakoh village in Jalandhar district. While three were in not so serious condition, the fourth one sustained multiple fractures. He had broken his elbow, leg and hip bones. Normally, such accidents just figure in the record books of the hospital and the police FIRs. But this particular accident was the biggest news of the day. The normally quiet and serene atmosphere of Ludhiana’s DMC Hospital was buzzing with activities. VIPS, mediapersons, sportspersons, politicians, and the regular onlookers…everyone was there at DMC. And while the doctors operated upon the youngster, the world of sports waited anxiously outside.
Jugraj Singh was no ordinary person whose accident could be dismissed in one line in the police files or hospital records. He was the hope of Indian hockey. A new-born star. A new-found hero. And the nation’s new sports icon. And he also happened to be the country’s most deadly drag-flicker.
Lying on the hospital bed following the surgery where steel plates were inserted into his body, Jugraj lay blank. He was still in the state of shock, but Jugraj couldn’t afford to show his tense and nervous side. On field, he is known to be a fighter. Off field, he needed to carry that reputation. He needed to show the world that even in a situation as adverse as this he was a man with a brave face. He needed to show that he was a man with extra-ordinary powers in terms of determination and will-power.
Sportspersons are no ordinary people. They are special for the reason that they are capable of making the adrenalin rush in our body increase by volumes. They are extra-ordinary because they come back as fighters when the chips are down. They are role models because of their determination and the will to take up challenges. Jugraj’s story is of an ordinary boy who went on to become extra-ordinary. He made right decisions at the right time, showing great fighting spirit and determination. He stood up and fought against the odds in life.
About ten years back, Jugraj was just another boy in the village, Rayya, in Amristsar district of Punjab. It appeared he had no ambition, no aim and no vision for life. The only son of his parents — Physical Education teachers — a decent government job to lead a contended life seemed to be the single most priority. For this, he had a small plan. He used to practice hard to win the first prize in the local level athletics tournament so that he could grab the attention of one of the Sports Officers and later on get a job. But his elder cousin sister had some other ideas for him. She almost forcefully took him away from the cuddly comforts of his parents’ arms to a big city, Jalandhar, where many boys of his age were pursuing their hobby of playing hockey and nurturing one dream — to earn India cap.
This small boy’s big cousin sister Rajbir Kaur, a former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team, motivated him to pick up the stick and learn the skills of hockey. He obeyed her. Jugraj joined Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar where he honed his skills. Flair he had, dedication he had, art he had… all he needed was a crafty master to polish his skills and that was done perfectly in the academy.
Playing in the tournaments for the Surjit Academy Jugraj started making waves. He caught the eyes of the national selectors while making his debut in the domestic circuit during the Junior Nationals in Chennai in February 2001. Thereafter, Madras Cricket Club-Murugappa hockey tournament in the same city in the same year saw Jugraj Singh battling out against his old team-mates — Jugraj Singh was now part of the IHF Junior squad. The team had many heroes and the IHF Juniors went on to win the title. Jugraj being outstanding, was called to attend the national camp for Under-18 Asia Cup where he along with other campers fine-tuned their skills. So impressive was his prowess in the camp that he was asked to lead the team. India won the Under-18 Asia Cup under Jugraj’s leadership. Accolades poured in. Jugraj emerged top scorer with 14 goals at Ipoh, the same number of goals he had netted in the Chennai Junior Nationals earlier. He was adjudged Player of the Tournament and was also selected for the All-Star team.
“This was just the beginning. The success in Ipoh gave me lot of confidence and I was ready to take the world,” recollects Jugraj. That IHF and his coach Rajinder Singh could sense. “When I first met Jugraj, I found he had great potentials. Initially his body was stiff and we had to work on his footwork and movements. But he had great ball control. He worked very hard too. I saw him practising drag-flicks alone in the field for hours together,” says his coach Rajinder Singh.
NOTE: Rest in the Book
Vineeta Pandey is a senior sports correspondent in The Times of India. She has been in the