Same faces
Same old faces
Same Graceful faces
Same veteran veracity
Same punctuality
Same solemn composure
The Same Nehru Tournament — it’s on
Come October, the Delhi’s routine and Indian hockey’s most prestigious Nehru Hockey Tournament Society’s series of tournaments will unfold. This has been the tradition for more than four decades. The 45th Senior Tournament and other age group tournaments will this be held, with new vigour and a new entrant. The new face who comes with an ace is Naveen Jindal, a known sports administrator and also a part of young Parliamentarian Brigade.
Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Steel and Power Ltd will sponsor the senior Cup, which will be held at Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi. All the turfs in the capital city are under renovation and hence the change of venue.
The calendar for all the five tournaments were announced today in a get together at Chemsford Club, New Delhi. Present on the occasion were veterans, secretary of the Society Shiv Kumar Varma, president Ram Niwas Mirdha, Naveen Jindal, Major General (retd) Virender Singh, former IOC vice-president Ashwini Kumar, Sayid Hamid, Chancellor, Hamdard University.
Olympian Harbinder Singh and Commander Nandy Singh were also among the august audience.
Speaking on the occasion, the young parliamentarian said that he is delighted to be a part of hockey sport, which needs support of the country at this crucial phase in whch it is in.
It is announced that the Jindal Steel and Power will be sponsoring the tournaments for Rs.15 lac. As a goodwill gesture, Naveen has been made the vice-president of the Nehru Society, a step that seemed to have been taken for renvitalizing the well-oiled organization.
On the occasion, Satinder Sharma, who will be officiating at the Beijing Olympics, has been given a cash award of Rs.11,000 as a token of respect for his rise in the realm of world hockey umpiring. While thanking he remembered fondly how he started his umpiring career in the Nehru Tournaments. “Whatever is am today, it is all because of opportunities I got in the Nehru events”, he said.
Sandeep Aggarwal of Tornado brand stick manufacturing company, sponsored the award. Aggarwal said proudly, “We are sponsoring Satinder’s kit also”. It is gathered the idea of honouring Satinder came from Kukuoowalia, who is now emerging the face of the GenNext in the Nehru Society.
Nehru Calander for the season
6-15th October 2008: Girls (Under 17) Cup, Venue: Shahbad Markand (Haryana), co-Sponsors: Jindal Steel and Power Ltd and NDMC
18-31 October 2008: Sub-Junior Boys Cup (U-15 years): Venue: Nehru Stadium Gurgaon. Likely Sponsor: ONGC
31st Oct to 14th Nov: Nehru Jr. Boys Cup (U-17 years): Venue: Gurgaon: Sponsor ATS infrastructure Ltd
14-25th Nov. 2008: Senior Nehru Cup. Venue: Gurgoan, Sponsor: Jindal Steel and Power Ltd.
8-15 Feb 2009: SAIL-Nehru Champions Colleges Cup, Venue: Jalandhar or Ludhiana, Sponsor: Steel Authority of India Ltd.
Pix Captions:
Top: Veteran sports organizers Sayid Hamid and Nam Niwas Mirdha (right) on a point of talk
Second from top: Friends and partners in promoting hockey, Major General Virender Singh and
Ashwini Kumar (left) keenly listerning
Third from top: Satinder Sharma (third from right) being honoured as explained in the text, even as Shiv Kumar Varma (left) looks on
Bottom: Ever-green KG Kakar saab on his usual zeal for Cup. He was a former football and hockey umpire, also played for India in hockey.