A treasure trove for hockey lovers

DC Correspondent
Chennai

One can count the number of hockey book in Tamil by the number of hair on political commentator Cho Ramaswamy’s head. All the classical language has in sports genre is hagiographical title on Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.

New Delhi based hockey historian K Arumugam’s book Tamilzh Nattin Hockey Veerargal, is like a blast of fresh air. As the title suggests, the book is written in Tamil, Arumugam’s mother tongue.

Arumugam, who has written more than 10 books on India’s national game besides hockey year books, has done stellar service to Tamil Nadu by bringing out the book which provides a brief sketch of all TN players who had the honour of donning Indian colours. It wasn’t an easy job by any account but Arumugam’s passion for the game has helped him find out former players and ferret out information. The book will be valuable to anyone who is interested to know the contribution of Tamil Nadu to Indian hockey.

S. Muthaiah, the renowned chronicle of Chennai, released the book in a simple function at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Thursday. Muthaiah made the occasion memorable with his well researched speech on the illustrious hockey history of Tamil Nadu.

Muthiah threw light on how the British brought the sport to Tamil Nadu after the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. In his inimitable style, the repository of information on Chennai recounted the growth of the game in the city.

Rev. Fr. Gregory Devarajan, head master of St. Bede’s AIHSSS, lauded Arumugam’s efforts. “I was a hockey player myself in my younger days. In my school days, India was down as a hockey country. Now India is known for its passion for cricket. I believe hockey is down but not out. It is possible to reclaim the lost glory of hockey. Arumugam’s book is an eye opener”, he said.

There was a sense of satisfaction writ large on the face of Arumugam. “This is the first time my book is released outdoors. It’s fitting that it is done at hockey stadium. I am proud that my latest book is in Tamil”, Arumugam said.

Arumugam is a founder of Hockey Citizen Group. Through One Thousand Hockey legs, its flagship programme, the hockey Citizen’s Group is trying to promote the sport at grassroots levels. OTHL’s aim is to get at least 500 students play hockey in the city it forays into. The players of five Chennai schools – St Bedes’, St Anthony’s, Muslim School, Chennai School (Saidapet), and Chennai School (Arumpakkam) – took part in the function. All the schools have enrolled in the OTHL.