‘My entire village wanted to be here’
When Ignace Tirkey first called up home in the tribal heartland of Sundergarh in Orissa to tell them about being conferred the Padma Shri, it wasn’t information being passed only to his family. The news was meant for the entire village of Lulkidihi, an occasion to celebrate one of its famous sons.
Ignace might have got his second major award in seven months — the Padma Shri comes after the Arjuna Award last year — on Wednesday, but travelling to receive the bronze medallion was likely easier for the Indian hockey medio than informing those back home about its receipt. Ignace is only the second sportsperson from the state to be conferred a Padma award after former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey. But his on-field achievements have not translated into great advancements for either his family or the region.
“Everyone in my family was very happy about the award, of course, but it wasn’t easy talking to them,” says Ignace. “Hum jahan se aaye hain wahan to ab bhi ghar theek se nahi hai, sadak nahi hai, bijli, pani, schools, kuch nahi hai (There is still no proper housing, roads, electricity, water or school from where I come). My brother has a mobile phone, but there is usually no network.”
Ignace’s village is unique in its geography: lying at the intersection of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. That meant he had the opportunity to play in local tournaments across three states, helping develop his game. But for someone who has put Orissa and hockey on the world map, making his way to Lulkidihi is also quite an effort, taking almost a whole day from Rourkela, the nearest big city. “That is the reason that even though people sometimes say I could have done a lot better, I feel whatever I have achieved is already great. And only hockey could have given me all this,” he says while looking around the plush lobby of a five-star city hotel.
The stipulation that every awardee was allowed to bring only two guests to the ceremony meant that it wasn’t just his family members who missed out. “They all wanted to come. My mother, father, brother. The whole village wanted to come as well. But that wasn’t possible as Masira (Surin, his wife) was already with me and there is a relative in Delhi as well. So I told the others, ‘You can see the ceremony on the television’ and promised them to come home and show them the medallion soon,” he says.
The disappointment of not being there in person, though, affects the entire village. “Whenever there is a function or a match, the entire village gets together in my house to watch me on television,” he says.
In his hour of glory, however, Ignace is quick to remember both wife Masira, herself a former Indian hockey international, member of the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold-winning squad, and the sport. “I feel my luck really changed after my marriage with Masira (in December 2008). I was disappointed after being repeatedly ignored for the Arjuna Award but now I feel whatever happens is for good. Masira has been lucky for me and everything good has happened to me in the last one year. She is very supportive and I hope she, too, wins a big award soon,” he says.
As far as the game goes, Ignace says he is coming off an injury but has recovered completely and was raring to test himself again in a national camp. “If they call me up for the upcoming camp ahead of the Azlan Shah tournament, I will definitely go. This award has given me extra motivation,” he says. The residents of Lulkidihi, meanwhile, would have been busy tuning into their television sets.