VAHIE: CLICKING WITH HOCKEY FOR A LIFETIME

K ARUMUGAM

I used to see him on the sidelines of hockey pitches from the early 1990s when I moved to Delhi. Most Delhiites must have seen around the stadium, in the stands and other places since the 1970s. He certainly was a fixture when it came to the ball-and-stick game. Probably no hockey event took place without his presence in Delhi and there was no escaping his roving but affectionate cameras.

I am talking about the Rahul Rai of hockey, Ashok Vahie, whose passion for the sport goes beyond profession.

That was why his small office, located within a kilometre of the iconic Shivaji Stadium in Connaught Place in Central Delhi turned out to be every hockey player’s most liked and a must-visit destination.

“I could say beforehand who exactly would turn up at my work place after the matches. I am happy many players found something in me and my interaction and developed a personal touch,” says Vahie who is full of zest for life.

BP Govinda, the icon and star of yesteryear, was adamant that only Vahiesaab click his wedding photos and took him to Bengaluru for the big day!

He was passionate about hockey but players were passionate about his photos and the personal warmth he oozed on them. Perfect geometry one may say. 

That’s the rapport the photographer, who is the last resort for the second generation of former players, to view their elders – father, brother, sister, mother or guardian — when they were rising stars.

Many players have become akin to family like Sukhbir Singh Grewal and Arvind Chhabra to name a few.

His lenses captured anything and everything hockey in the Capital for almost five decades. Be it Nehru Cup competitions, international tournaments, Rashtrapati Award functions and other events, Vahie and his beloved camera were sure to be seen there.

No chronicle on Indian hockey for the last 50 years could do without the images he had shot. His photos make for the speaking history of Indian hockey.

Fittingly, he organized his photo exhibitions — once in Delhi and then Chandigarh — which drew wide publicity and acclaim.

As a true press photographer, Vahiesaab, as he is known to many, clicked other sports, political events highlight of which is 3-day non-stop 1984 anti-Sikh riots. His Vahie News Photo is still the much wanted one for all these rare images. These genres have their own story to tell.

His hockey images are the ones that delight us the most, though.

He toured Bombay, now Mumbai, in 1975 to shoot the World Cup winning team vs Cine Stars match staged at the Wankhede stadium before a sell-out crowd.

A google search for 1975 World Cup images finds his shots prominently. Sadly, however, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves as photos were devoid of watermarks.

Vahie’s hallmark was giving away everything for the benefit of the sport he loved the most.

Dhyan Chand images too speak for his exclusivity in the internet era without him getting his due. The 1982 Asian Games images, the Shivaji Stadium events in front of its original stands which were renovated twice and, among countless others, one with all Balbirs together in a single frame. The list of immortal moments he clicked are too long to mention here.

“The biggest joy in my life is how players like me, love me and respect me. I don’t need anything beyond this,” he once declared.

Vahie says he has closed down his Bhagat Singh studio which did much to foster hockey and is in many ways a legacy for the game and its fraternity.

His images are not time bound. They will live forever.

Vahie announced retirement last week in his social media post. He will no longer be available in his Bhagat Singh Market office.    

With the dawn of the new year, he seeks a quiet life. However, it’s a matter of satisfaction and a measure of his love for his images that he will perhaps find able successors to extend his legacy in the digital age.

Thank you Vahiesaab for what you have contributed to hockey.