National Sports Day: Dhyan Chand, ‘teri Ganga maili’

Let us vow to eradicate age fraud on this holy day

I don’t think any other country accords so much importance to a hockey player’s contribution to its nation building so as to celebrate his or her birth anniversary as National Sports Day, as does India on Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary.

Since two decades India has been observing its National Sports Day on the hockey maestro’s birth anniversary. On this day, very significantly, eminent sports persons and coaches, along with adventure sports, are presented with national awards at the hands of President of India at the historic Durbar Hall in the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.

Our own Sardar Singh will be getting his Khel Rata award today. Other hockey players Sumrai Tete and SV Sunil will also be getting Aruna or its equivalent.

This occasion where national mood is sport, one cannot but thing out of box for hockey sport, which is national game of the country.

There are virtues and vices that go with the growth and evolution of the sport in India.

Having been with the sport for almost three decades, I dedicate today to highlight one of the evils that erode the very ethos of sports and eat away hockey at grassroot.

It’s a open secret that age budging is more serious challenge for hockey than doping in other sports.

Somehow, those who indulge in the malpractice and their promoters (grassroot level coaches in particular) this aspect could not be tackled by the well meaning government and sports bodies.

In effect, it has grown beyond limits and is eroding the very foundations of hockey.

Hockey at grassroots is an avenue for job, not just job but a permanent government one.

Job seekers somehow have captured the market and drive it on their terms.

Those who use hockey for job forget the sports once they get into a comfortable post.

Government and its public sector arms provide jobs to motivate hockey but these criminals undermine the genuine effort.

Its very difficult to catch the cheats legally as they find out myriad ways of safe escape routes, and a big vicious circle extend patronage to them.

I run a NGO for promoting hockey at schools, which gave me hands down experience on this practice prevalent there.

Its shame on us that we failed to provide level playing fields for the kids on hockey turf. By and large over-age teams walk away with laurels forcing even innocents to opt for cheating.

Unless and until the scourge is wiped out Indian hockey cannot dream of reaching the heights the likes of Dhyan Chands did.

Therefore, I as a writer and social worker rededicate my services to eradicate the malaise, at least to give level playing field to about 3500 kids whom I introduced hockey.

This will be a great service to the legend of Dhyan Chand.

Dhyan Chand has been a byword for honesty and hardwork, let us by intent and action try to match his.

For that everyone should shun and shame age frauds.
As of now, to take famous film name, Dhyan Chand teri hockey maili.