Pargat has to mend ways or at least mind words

Mr. Padamshree Pargat Singh Powar. What happened to you? You are repeating the words which in your playing days you hate to hear, and because of that you earned a name of ‘Young Turks’.

Shriman Pargat Singh Powar is well-known star in India not because he won any medal for India, but because he took on the system when he was a player. Pargat Singh Powar played three Olympics, two as captains, but unfortunately failed to motivate the boys to do anything beyond ordinary.

Not only that. Barcelona Olympics is by far the worst performance put out by any Indian Olympic hockey team, and it happened under his leadership.

However, he always made up with. ‘Made up with’ is big word with which the Indian hockey is unmade during the late 80s and 90s.

Now see for yourself.

During 1889 Pargat Singh Powar walked out of Bangalore national camp, why? He was not given captaincy. Unfortunately, he did not think of India and patriotism with which he seemed to have been so obsessed of late.

We have seen many occasions in India on one thing. When people get a post in the hockey set up, or have a say there, they feel everything is fine and only others don’t co-operate.

Now Shriman Pargat Singh Powar also in the same time-warped mindset.

Just because he is Development Committee Chairman, just because he doubles of up with Disciplinary Committee too as its head — we never know of the latter post which is conveniently made known now by the shrewd authorities – he would like us believe everything is fine, and only the players are ‘unpatriotic’ do not bother about country etc.

When the Players stopped training before the Delhi World Cup, the FIH vice-president Ontario said the same – players are unpatriotic, IHF can form a ‘new team’.

Now Pargat Singh declares the five players, who stayed out for a day to participate in the World Series Hockey press conference in Mumbai, are nothing less than unpatriotic and spoilers of yet-to-be held Olympic qualifier.

Not only that. He goes on to say that he will form a new team for the Qualifier. I don’t think new teams are available in the mushrooming malls in every city.

Great Mr. Pargat Singh Powar. Your words sound like what RN Prasad, former IHF president, who used to say whenever you demanded match fee in your ‘losing’, sorry, playing days.

Kindly remember Shriman Pargat Singh Powar, you have never won a medal in Junior World Cup, and you now contemplate killing the career of Junior World Cup goldies like Arjun Halappas, Prabhjot Singhs and etc.

It’s irony.

Form new team if players are not disciplined? This is what this gentleman has advocated. He has conveniently forgotten the fact that when after India finished lowly tenth at one of the World Cups, the then IHF called for a open trial. Present Ramdev baba of discipline, Mr. Pargat Singh Powar, objected to it. He formed the short-lived and mis-used ‘Players Association’ and created lot of fuss till the failing captain was recalled! We saw and reported those drama filled days in the early 90s — and have not forgotten every bit of it, either.

Sorry to recall these historical facts and remind these all to Clean Sports Chairman.

How clever are the Hockey India officials? They simply made this gentleman to speak for all their mal-administration and shortcomings. This player-turned-admino falls to their ploy, fully and willingly.

Dear Pargat Singh, you are about to be suspended for indiscipline during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Sensing the trouble, and the bad name it would accrue, you announced ‘retirement’. For the statistics purpose, I should inform the new generation of hockey lovers and writers that Pargat Singh Powar has the dubious record of announcing ‘retirement’ as many times as possible. This showed how many times he was about to be suspended or dropped. Its really unbelievable Pargat Singh is disciplinary Committee chairman.

If at all anybody in the Indian hockey playing community who utterly undeserved to be the Chairman of Disciplinary Committee, this is this gentleman – who now plays alibi for Hockey India.

Narindra Batra must be laughing out of his teeth for getting Pargat to tackle all the thorny issues, and firing all cylinders from his shoulders.

It is an incontrovertible fact that Pargat Singh doesn’t hold any constitutional post in Hockey India.

He has no locus standi in the first place to say whatever he had said, which goes to the extent of making new teams and finish the career of many players who achieved far greater than Pargat’s.

It is the duty of the Executive Board, President or Secretary who are empowered to say such things that too after talking to the parties and after discussion in the right forum.

Just fuming like a sulking child, which Pargat is now, won’t do.

Pargat Singh preaching on discipline and patriotism are antithesis.

One Olympics was cooked up by inter alia a coterie consisting of Anupam Ghulati (then acting as an agent for an alcohol manufacturer, who sponsored the Indian Olympic team), deputy coach SS Grewal, and lobbyist captain Pargat Singh. One has to read Olympian-coach Balkrishan Singh’s (chief coach of the Barcelona Olympics) and the manager NP Katare’s reports to understand what I mean here. It is so coincidental that the same actors are now involved in different capacities, and I can only pray to the Almighty, please save Indian hockey and don’t allow Barcelona type repeat.

Pargat Singh has forgotten one thing. The present lot of players are more professional than his generation of players. They don’t stay in dormitories. A couple of players even stayed at decent hotels during the last Bhopal Nationals — at their own expenses.

Nowadays the players are no pushovers. They know what they do, what they are upto, their collective strengths and weaknesses. They are ultimately united, a virtue I haven’t seen with any past Indian teams in the last three decades. Past Indian teams were always spilit across region, proving fodder to manipulating adminos. The current lot will win the battle. They won’t care for a former player who said ‘Everything is fine at Bhopal’ when media reports indicated otherwise; poor accommodation for National Championship players.

They have seen enough chamcha specialists Ajit Pals and Jagbir Singhs (who stoutly opposed players strike in every live show just because he was part of the ruling echelon) and it is their turn to see, and see off, another variety, say, Pargat Singh.

You can never preach patriotic lessons like of which RN Prasads used to for Pargat Singhs in the late 90s.

Pargat, just because you brought a foreign coach, it does not mean you have solved every problem the game and particularly the sort of ones that the playing community have faced, and are still facing.

Hockey India has assured grade payment for players, which you were fighting for when you were a poor, dormitory-staying player. They haven’t forgotten assurances given before the Delhi World Cup, and then forgetting everything once the World Cup was over and a couple of vocal players were sidelined from the team.

Pargat aims big in life. We also want a player of his standing should steer Indian hockey. But he has to prove he deserves it. At best, he should now control his emotions, speak wisdom, speak to players, before fuming and passing objectionable comment on current players, who are dear to the nation.

Please Pargat, understand one fact. Some wisemen still believe players can administer sports better than the vicious circle of retired police, bureaucrats and petty politicians. Please don’t let them down.

Why do you spit venom before even talking to the current players. Your presumption that you are boss of them mean nothing to them. Fight between HI and IHF are not their making. Neither is desirable that you take sides.

Therefore, it is better you mend ways or at least mind words.

He should have patience to deal the issue keeping player interest in the mind. To talk like Ashwinis, Gills and Ontarios won’t help.