Women celebrate freedom from Bose with a title at

Women celebrate freedom from Bose with a title at Kazan

Whatever happened in the mess called Hockey India, one positive development has been sidelining of Amrit Bose, sticking to the Secretary General post Indian Women Hockey Federation for over two and half decade.

As if to celebrate freedom from her clutches, the Indian women team won the title at Kazan, a first FIH tournament win for the women in their history. In the past 25 years, its first time a women team went without Bose in the thick of things, and it turned out to be a golden moment to cherish – a double delight for the girls.

Whatever the status of the Kazan event, it marks a great beginning for women hockey, which needed enormous dose of self-confidence.

Till now Bose, a self righteous and bloated egoist, have been dictating terms on the course of women hockey, even taking technical people like coaches in to unwanted tasks.

Since her boss for n number of years, Vidhya Stokes, never cared to see and supervise day today affairs, this lady’s writ run for long.

Neither did she respect the players nor coaches and managers. That she has been against the welfare of players can be clearly understood by the fact that her dispensation never sent the team list to sponsor City Limousine, who made history in the Indian sports, by rewarding monthly stipend to players based on grade. They were so disillusioned and fed up that when I met the company’s Indian supreme in Mumbai he was talking about withdrawing. She cared little even when Indian Express exposed the laxity last year.

The IWHF’s grouse is the cheques are sent directly to players not to them!! Why do they insist money should be come in their name is a matter of conjecture.

There have even been gossips on the purchase of sports goods, read it as poor quality sports goods.

I was eye-witness when this lady surprised chief coach Kaushik and Technical Advisor Ric Charlesworth when she unilaterally announced ‘half of the present team will not play for India again’. She declared so during the last Olympic Qualifier that took place at the same Kazan where now the girls have made their moments. The tournament was not even half way through when she burst out without any reason.

At the same spot, I understood late, Ric coined his famous phrase, ‘Bose is Gill in skirt’

Every player I confided to – my association with women hockey is far involved and deeper — will have a grouse or two against this lady, most of them about her manner of insulting them in public.

When India lost to Australia in the Indira Cup league, she openly abused the goal-keeper, even family members would have dared to scold their wards that way.

Her over-bearing attitude enticed nobody in the national stadium, where her raj went on for last ten years; there is even a joke among workers there, once a tree fell on her parked car, nobody came to her help despite her repeated pleas for days!

When the team departure was mishandled, had to return from airport in the night to rooms for want of transit visa, Ball Boy Bunt2 feels it is someone who leaked the news to the press in the night. Press gives damn to women hockey – they did not even publish semifinal and final results – and how so many OB vans lined up before the Rajdoot hotel is still a mystery. Ball Boy Bunt2 wags his tag at her!! One never knows the fact.

The world knows how KPS Gill systematically killed hockey. Because his house deeds were almost open, accessible to media.

But this lady ran the federation like her kitchen. Her IWHF has been a dark room, her personal property, never a media would get to access to what’s happening, calls were never taken.

It is blot on the Indian civic society that it let the likes of Boses to continue in seat of power double the tenure as that of Gill’s.

Name a single player in the team who likes her even by default!

What is in store for women hockey in India, one never knows, but things will be better off with Bose’s long awaited exit.

Is first sign of which is Gold at Kazan?