No…..I m not a hockey player, no…….I m not a cricket player, I m someone like u, someone who loves to watch India win, and someone who loves to watch India win in hockey too. I think here I am not different from you, right?

Chak de India…this movie is a masterpiece. It actually lifted India in the field of sports. This movie brought lot of enthusiasm and energy along with it, which is visible to all of us. India won the hockey Asia Cup and then the T20 Cricket world cup. We all heartily enjoyed the cricket victory, and cheered the victors, and were so happy to see India lift the cup in South Africa. Right? People danced, screamedm, crackers were abound on that night. I too joined the euphoria, and danced like crazy. It was such an awesome feeling to see how much people love the “Indian cricket team. But do we love India? Yes, of course will be your instant reaction and answer to it. Well, let’s find out whether you actually love India, or NOT? You will have your answer by the time you have finished reading this short article.

Chak de India is believed to have been based on the career of a hockey player who fought for his lost honor and earned respect coaching the Women’s Hockey team as a goal keeper coach. And eventually went on to win the Asia Cup in Delhi in the winter of 2004.

Now we hear the “Chak de India” slogan everywhere. Cricket also got influenced by the enthusiasm shown by the girls in the movie, and they fought and played like Lions to win the T20 Cricket World cup, which we all will remember for a long time.

But, how many of us, please be frank, know we won a world cup in other sporting discipline too?

In 1975, one more world cup was played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which India won. Do you remember that? Do you recolect which world cup was that, and in which sports India won it? If your answer is yes, then I believe you love India, forgive me if am too straight forward. But I would suggest you to read on to actually judge for yourself whether you actually do or not. If your answer is No, then my question to you is, Why not???. That’s because it was a “Hockey World Cup”

In 1975, India won the Hockey World Cup, the only one till date. I was not born at that time to see those winning moments live, but hockey being our national sport, I can very well imagine the happiness of the Indians to see their team win and bring home the world cup. By searching on the net I got to know how much craze was there for hockey at that time and the winning hockey team got a hero’s welcome when they came back then……and now in 2007, Indian hockey team won the Asia cup, which is a fairly big event in Indian hockey. How many of us were happy to see them win? How many of us were there to welcome them, and treat them as heroes. How many of us danced and exploded crackers when they won? How many of our fellow Indians know the names of all the players of the Indian Men’s Hockey team? Well…. You know the statistics.

Isn’t this strange, to see how we Indians celebrated and welcomed the wining Indian cricket team. There were thousands of people who took to streets to have a glimpse of the Men in Blue and danced with them and congratulated them. I really loved that sight, because I love cricket but I love hockey too and I was very excited and happy to see India win in hockey and was there to have a glimpse of our hockey team when they won the Asia cup. Were you? Remember me mentioning in the starting, “that, I think here I m different from you”, now this is how I am different from you. All the members of the cricket team of course we know the names of each of them, got richer overnight by winning this cup and they should be. They have the right (hak) to be more richer as they worked hard, played well and won. What about Hockey Team’s “hak”. Even they worked hard, played well and won. What did they get… Nothing as compared to our men in Blue. They got peanuts. Why so much indifference? Come on guys after all Hockey is our national sport. Let’s just forget about what the present Indian hockey players got by winning the Asia cup for a moment. Lets talk about what our senior Hockey team “not got” after winning the 1975 World cup. Some of them are still fighting for a “Railway Pass”, being given by the Railway Ministry to the gold medal winners of Asian and Commonwealth hockey championships but not to World Cup Hockey gold medal winners, which is their right(hak), as they are the World Cup Hockey players and made us proud by winning the Hockey World Cup, which is the only one won by India till date. Is this too much to ask for?? Time has passed by, but nothing has changed in terms of recognition, reward money and other perks given to the Hockey team. The only thing that has changed is, that cricket has taken over hockey. Guys I am not against cricket, but I am in favour of hockey too. I am an Indian who loves India. If u think you are true Indian and love India, then you should support and cheer for all the sports in which India takes part. This is a fight not only for the “hak” of the players of our National Game “Hockey” but all the other achievers of all other games who have brought glory to the country . Why this step-motherly treatment to them? We should recognize, honour and reward the sportsmen who excel and not a particular sport only. This is an appeal to all the people concerned and to the government on behalf of the Indian hockey and other sports lovers “Hak de India”.

Now in the end I am sure u must have the answer to my question, whether u love India or not… if u really do then lets support and cheer all the sports played by India and also the Indian players excelling in any sport. In this way you will be called a True Indian who loves India & Indian sports.