K. ARUMUGAM

Raveendran Shankaran, CEO of Rajgir Sports Project

His image is not in any of the posters, but once you are inside the Rajgir Sports Complex, you cannot miss the ever-smiling Raveendran Shankaran. The lanky, high-profile Police Officer is the engine room of the Bihar’s first-ever international hockey extravaganza. He is excited about the success of WACT and the response he is getting from the public. “Tickets are registered within 30 minutes of being put on online”, says with sparkling eyes. “The pressure I get for passes is one thing I grabble to overcome

everyday”.  He manages everything here, being the CEO of Rajgir Sports Complex, one of the many hats he wears in the Bihar sports scenario. One thing he would not like of course is unavoidable spraying of gases every day after the matches to combat insecticides. Once he sees the cloud of gases approach the stadium, he rushes to a safe place, so also everyone else. We will hear about the officer more in the days to come, as he is the kingpin of Bihar sports.

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When he spotted me in the mixed zone, Chief Coach Harendra Singh greeted: ‘Welcome to my Janmabhoomi (birthplace) Sir’. I used to his welcome on different stadiums across the global, but this one sounded sweet. Besides him, Ajitesh Roy, his student, is the only other international player to emerge from the stable of Bihar. They would certainly want to have their successors. “Certainly”, both nodded in one voice.

BIHAR BOYS: Harendra Singh and his disciple Ajitesh Roy

Ajitesh has recently founded a hockey Academy in Patna, RK Roy Foundation, and it has become the first Bihar based hockey Academy to get Hockey India registration. “30 of my players are here as fans, volunteers etc, says he with all happiness.
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Anybody you encounter is happy that at last hockey has come to their home. Says Anuj Raj, a hockey player from Patna. I went to Bhubaneswar for the World Cup both times. Now, I see international hockey in my home state. Never thought it would happen, and it did. He has come with a dozen students, most of them are girls. He is part of a Patna based Club,
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Hove notice over time and space that the crowd would go excited every time the ball enters the net not necessarily from inside the striking circle. However, noticed the crowd here in Rajgir is an exception. Though the ball went quite often inside the net in the India match against China, the crowd was mature enough to differentiate a goal and ordinary. Colleague Uthra Ganesan of The Hindu said that she noticed this in the first one or two matches and stopped after that. It meant the fans are quick learners, this is a message one can easily take home happily. Hockey is not after all that bad with respect to rules of the game!
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Jagwant Singh, 57, from Ipoh (Malaysia) is a long-standing overseas friend of mine. He started umpiring in 2001, elevated to Umpire-manager later. Happy to see him promoted as the AHF Instructor for the FIH-AHF Level 1 Technical Officers cum Umpires Clinic here. It was second time on this job. About 30-aspiring Indian umpires took part which concluded on Saturday. Jagwant is a Head Master with a Government School, has seemingly got an ideal job here!
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Jagwant Malaysia conducting FIH Level 1 course

Setting is perfect not just with branding and decorations all around but also from spectator’s visibility point of view too. The gap between turf and the stand is so less that it looks Shivaji Stadium for an instant.  However, the posh tent put up for VIPs in the middle of main stand hides other side view, it needs to be sorted out when the next number comes calling.
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The crowd is the talking point, the highlight of Rajgir. Many claim the seats are registered out within 30 minutes of opening online. The online opens everyday 3.00 PM. A One Thousand Hockey Legs’ present player Ankit Misra of GBSSS, Mehrauli  (New Delhi) says he tried everyday in vain in the last one week. “Can you sir get me a ticket, I know you are in Rajgir”, he calls and requests me. Delhi based Ankit is on tour to his home town Rajgir. Thankfully, I could manage one for him.
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Bihar State Sports Authority gave an official dinner on the rest day yesterday in which almost all Hockey India functionaries were presented with a customary but globally acclaimed Madhubani shawl.

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More to come