Lawrence Rd DAV School in search of hockey laurels

The popular D.A.V. public school, Lawrence Road, in Amritsar takes firm steps towards promoting hockey.

The Hockey fervour took off at DAV Public School, Amritsar, in December last year when Principal Mrs. Neera Sharma rang up the World Cup Hockey Star Ashok Kumar on the eve of death anniversary of his father Major Dhyan Chand, the hockey wizard. Sports legends like Dhyan Chand don’t fade into oblivion with time, but emerge strongly as role models to inspire generations. To quote the words of wisdom spoken by Ashok Kumar when he said to Principal: “Memories of my father will live on as long as the game is played. Introducing and promoting the game in the school will be the best tribute one can pay to immortalize him. “

The same sentiment was evoked when the Principal, Mrs. Neera Sharma invited the renowned Hockey writer Prof.Paramjit Singh Randhawa to address the morning assembly of the school which was exclusively dedicated to hockey, recently.

Prof. Randhawa emphasized that our National Sport, Hockey should be promoted at any cost. He wanted the children to be enthused with the spirit of ‘Chak De India’. To the Principal’s question as to whether Hockey should be introduced in the school, there was a resounding ‘YES’ by the students. With the objective of enthusing the young ones with fervor for the sport and to inspire them with the illustrious life of Sh.Dhyan Chand, the Principal declared immediately that hockey would be a part of the school curriculum.

“

The following activities and thinking, go on to prove the seriousness with which the premier educational institution in Amritsar has taken up the task of promoting the game of hockey:

I SCHOOL TEAMS: Separate teams for Girls and Boys have been constituted. They are being coached by the National Hockey player, Mr. Deepak Kumar. Friendly fixtures are becoming a common feature. The Girls are exhibiting their prowess at the sport with full gusto – they are improving day by day.

II HOCKEY NURSERY: ‘Catch them young’. Immense talent is waiting to be explored in our villages. S. Vijender Singh, the boxing bronze Medal winning boxer at Beijing, is the case in point. He comes from a rural area. D.A.V. Public School therefore envisions a Hockey Nursery in the near future to promote talent. A team of selectors comprising of Hockey players will explore this talent and select boys and girls in the 5-10 years age group so that they can be molded for the game in the Nursery.

“

III PASTORAL CARE: To ensure ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ the services of a doctor, psychologist and neurologist have been made available. Games, especially these days, are won in the mind first. Ricky Ponting, in the recent India- Australia Series said, “We have done our home-work and devised our strategies; we hope we can execute them.”
The 3D’s that is Devotion Dedication and Discipline have to be inculcated in the young players.

IV MEDIA: The role of Media in the promotion of any game cannot be undermined. In 1970-80, the small and big achievements of Kapil Dev who was a young player then, were highlighted by Samuel Bannerjee, the Sports Editor of The Tribune. This stood Kapil Dev in good stead in the long run. Mrs. Neera Sharma has promised that provisions will be made to highlight the achievements of the young Hockey players, in the newspapers and on T.V.

“

V EXPOSURE: More Hockey matches will be organized in the school and players will be sent out to play Hockey Fixtures. The Multimedia room in the school will be used to show the tapes of Hockey matches as it played in different parts of the world, in order to familiarize the budding players with different strategies of the game.

VI FINANCES: The Principal, Mrs. Neera Sharma feels there is a need to request the sponsors of Hockey to promote the National Sport at the grass root level and to achieve this objective their funds should reach the schools directly. This direct sponsorship mode will ensure that the funds are channelized in the right direction without any shady intermediaries.

Though in a globalized world the list of sports is long and comprehensive, we cannot afford to neglect our National Sport, hockey. This will be like gaining the whole world but losing our soul, our identity. So, let’s join hands and strive together to restore the last glory of Hockey.

“

EAT HOCKEY, SLEEP HOCKEY, THINK HOCKEY

Courtesy: Mrs. Neera Sharma
(Principal)

DAV Public School,
Lawrence Road,
Amritsar.