There were smoke signals in the mountainous West. A setting in a Louis L’Amour Western novel? Well, not quite. But the trappings of a Cowboy flick were there all right. Right in Indian country. Except that these aren’t the Rockies but the Western Ghats of the state of Maharashtra.

Situated in the rugged terrain, a woody town — albeit made up of luxury villas — staged a pow wow recently and it suggested a rebellion of sorts.

With a difference. It may not be Six-guns or Winchester rifles that will be called into play but, well, hockey sticks.

The Indian Hockey Federation power struggle has led to lobbying within, ahead of the elections in December.

And a giant corporate big wig, also the president of the Bengal Hockey Association, has called upon many involved in the running of the game in the country — be they active, or defunct.

He wooed them with a lavish party that went along with a seminar called the Future Goal Of Indian Hockey .

If one is tempted to liken the rebel to ‘Robert Lee’, supercop KPS Gill, deposed president of the Indian Hockey Federation suspended by the Indian Olympic Association, could well be ‘Ullysses Grant’ as battle lines are drawn ahead of the elections.

Mention Dourado, that chimes well with El Dorado, and frontier setting thickens.

Yeah! Herculano Dourado, the chief of the reportedly defunct Goa Hockey Association was there. From South of the border, one might say.

Grapevine has it that our ‘Mexican Joe’ was the centre of attraction celebrating the get-together in fiesta style. Dancing and romancing with his better half and calling for famous Goan folk tunes to be played.

So overwhelmed by the ambience of the occasion, Senor Dourado, it is understood, went ga ga on the ambience of the leafy valley when called upon to comment on his association’s efforts for hockey in Goa!

Or maybe, which is quite the case, he had nothing to say on the topic.