For the Kodavas, hockey is where the heart is

By Vivek Phadnis | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

It is no secret that playing hockey comes naturally to the Kodavas. The national sport is a passion for them and many of the great Indian players hail from Kodagu. MP Ganesh, MM Somaya, CS Poonacha, AB Subbaiah, BK Subramani, PK Kalaiah and KK Poonacha are some among them.

Even now, Kodagu continues to produce hockey players in large numbers and there is always representation in the Indian team. But what attracts Kodavas to hockey? Former Indian captain and coach Ganesh explains: “Kodavas have a strong tradition of serving in the armed forces from the British era. Hockey was popular in the army then. At that time, only the army got to represent the country. So, our community has a strong liking for the game.”

Like many other players, Ganesh says he is what he is because of hockey.

“Hockey is life for me. I am known and recognised, thanks to this great game. It has taught me a lot of values in life,” he says. Having played for India in the World Cup and Olympics when the country was at its best in world hockey, Ganesh is not happy with the current state of the sport in the country. The number of players from Kodagu in the national team has come down slightly and he urges more kids to play hockey seriously.

When families become teams

The Kodava Hockey Festival is a unique tournament that is conducted in the district every year. It is a big tournament in which families enter as a team. The highest participation has been 281 teams in an edition. This event has even made its way into the Limca Book of Records.

The inaugural edition was held in 1997 and the man who started it was Pandanda Kuttappa, a hockey referee. The idea was to have a platform where all families can meet. After the inaugural tournament, the Kodava Hockey Academy was started to regulate and oversee future events.

The tournament has grown over the years and so has the prize money, which is currently about `1.5 lakh for the winning team. Apart from the cash prize, motorcycles and cars are given away as special awards for player of the tournament, highest goal scorers, fairplay trophy etc.

The 2011 edition of the tournament (15th edition) was held at Ponnampet and was hosted by Machamada family. A total of 228 families took part this time. In 2012, the Iychetira family will conduct it.

One can only imagine the festive atmosphere at an event as big as this. Apart from the sport, there are a lot of other activities like dog shows, helicopter rides, army bands performing, and laser and cultural shows. Food courts are also set up.

Former India goalkeeper AB Subbaiah, from the Anjaparavanda family, has played in the tournament 11 times. He says, “It is a different experience. All families assemble there and there is an audience of about 30,000 to 35,000 or even more. We get to meet a lot of our friends and current and past players. It is a great occasion.”

For the future, a large plot has been identified in South Kodagu and there are plans to set up the Kodava Tradition and Heritage Centre. It will have two international-standard hockey grounds, a heritage centre and museum.