OBITUARY: Hockey can never have another Joshi

K. ARUMUGAM

The deadly COVID-19 pandemic had taken away a gem of a hockey buff, BG Joshi. He was 67. He is survived by his wife and two Engineer sons.

Joshi, who was an engineer with the Madhya Pradesh government and lived in Sehore passed away on Tuesday. Joshi was well known in the entire hockey world for his numbers. He was a veritable field hockey encyclopedia. He could provide a profile of any hockey player or present vital numbers for any hockey tournament right from 1920 to date.

His statistics are sought after by the media world, and widely quoted. He regularly contributed in English for two valued publications – www.bharatiyahockey.org and www.fieldhockey.com. Incidentally, both publications are being run by hockey fans for the heck of it; without any financial returns. His identity with these two publications was so fitting as he too was never a commercial man despite being an authority on statistics..

He has many times quietly corrected the statistics published by the FIH!   He was never given credit for all his silent work.

He has painstakingly compiled numbers since his boyhood, say, in the early 1970s. There is no hockey literature published in India without his stats.

He has contributed regularly to Sportstar; Mr S Thyagarajan’s elaborate pieces are invariably followed with BG Joshi’s numbers. This combination endured about three decades.

Besides, he has also contributed regularly to various vernacular newspapers and magazines.

His journey into hockey numbers took more depth when he started touring to cover tournaments. From 2014, he had been to Europe even for tournaments in which India did not participate. His love was simply hockey!

His work came to public knowledge with the onset of social media. He was followed by serious hockey fans and writers alike.

Earlier, he used to compile day today statistics and take copies, provide to media men during the tournaments. Not did many give him his due for the dedicated and diligent work, but never does he bother.

His knowledge of each player is envy of everyone; he could thus make out youngest captain, earliest goals, global caps milestones etc. He was for long the lone referral.

He had not missed any tournaments in India. His father expired when he was in Chennai covering the Champions Trophy. Mr Jothikumaran, the then IHF Secretary and also the organizing Secretary of the event offered him air ticket to Bhopal to rush him. However, he went on his own expense which portrayed his character and personality.

Nature has snatched away a hockey gem too early. Mr Joshi leaves a void difficult to fill up.

Hockey can never have another Joshi.

ANOTHER COVID-19 STATISTIC BUT FOR HOCKEY A DEVASTATING LOSS