In hockey’s cradle, Chak De spirit buried
CHANDIGARH: Shahbad near Kurukshetra in Haryana maybe known as the cradle of women’s hockey in the region but the players’ spirit is far from Chak De. Apart from giving little thought to making the players financially independent, the sports authorities in the state and at the centre have failed to facilitate proper medical aid or medical insurance for them.
And at a time when nine players from here are attending a camp in Hyderabad for the South Asian Federation Games, the medical treatment of the father of Sandeep Kaur — the girl with a golden stick — was undertaken with the help of probables at the camp. “Sandeep’s father’s treatment could start only when players at the camp chipped in with the required money,” coach Baldev Singh told TOI on phone. In another case, symptomatic of the state of affairs, a injured player was sent back to her state for treatment.
Though the hockey academy has given this non-descript town as well as the state an international identity, the Haryana government is yet to wake up to the employment needs of these girls. Coach Baldev Singh said, “Rs 100 is what the sports authority of Haryana has allocated for the diet of these players. Except for Indian Railways, neither the state nor any central agency has offered any job to them.”
Surender Kaur, who currently heads the women’s hockey team, Rani, the star scorer of Indian team, and Sandeep are among the nine players attending the national camp. Despite being the captain, Surender, the only player who has been able to make it to World XI, is yet to get a job in Haryana police. She is currently employed as LDC in the Railways.