Shahbad girls do India proud
Prabhjot Singh/Amrita Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Shahbad, June 29
Shahbad Marklanda, a sleepy town about 70 km from Chandigarh, has once again done India proud. Six girls from this women’s hockey nursery have helped India to win the inaugural Champions Challenge II at Kazan in Russia with a flourish. India has now qualified to play the Champions Challenge I.

India, the only unbeaten team in the eight-nation event, beat Belgium 6-3 in the final after defeating the same rivals 5-3 in the earlier round robin league. Shahbad girls also bagged all the individual honours that India won in the tournament.

Rani Rampal, the babe of the team, was not only adjudged the top scorer but also crowned as youngest player of the championship. Her senior and skipper Surinder Kaur got the player of the championship award.

A mere coincidence as it may be that in April last year, when the Indian team left to play in the Olympic Qualifier at the same venue, it had seven Shahbad girls in it. Unfortunately, after defeats at hands of the Netherlands Antilles and Belgium in the preliminary league matches, India could not make it to the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.

Now, Indians took a sweet revenge from the Belgians defeating them twice in the tournament. After silver in the 2006 Commonwealth games, India has taken two years to climb to the top of the podium in an international tournament.

Those who follow Indian hockey closely must be aware of the Shah Rukh Khan’s film, “Chak de…” Initially, the film producer wanted to include Shahbad girls in his cast. But the girls and their coach, Baldev Singh, refused to be lured by the glamour of the Bollywood saying it would affect their training schedule. Some of the outstanding current players from Shahbad are Surinder Kaur, Suman Bala, Rajwinder Kaur, Gagandeep Kaur, Surinder Kaur, Jasjeet Kaur, Ritu Rani and Rani Devi Rampal and Joydeep kaur.

Shahbad enjoys the distinction of the only town in the world that has produced 26 international players in less than 15 years. And true to traditions of Indian hockey, most of the women players come from lower middle and middle class families. Shahbad does not have industry and is basically inhabited by the people who migrated from Pakistan during the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947.

It now, however, boasts of an astro-turf where Baldev and his girls train day in and out without a break. Compared to men’s hockey, India’s track record in women’s’ hockey is gradually becoming impressive.

The only time Indian women played in Olympics was in Moscow in 1980 where the team, led by Rupa Saini, missed a bronze medal by a whisker. Incidentally, Rupa Saini is now the observer of the union ministry of sports for women’s hockey.

“We can make it in women’s hockey,” says Baldev Singh, the coach credited with bringing this sleepy town on the international hockey arena. “I am confident that my girls, including Rani Rampal, the youngest at 15, and a centre forward on view in contemporary women’s hockey, would restore laurels that the men’s hockey team enjoyed for a number of years.”

In fact, women’s team has been doing well. It won 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, gold in 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and a silver in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games and bronze in Doha Asian games.

But these recent laurels apart, neither the Shahbad girls nor their coach have been considered qualified enough to be conferred national sports awards like Arjuna and Dronacharya given in recognition of outstanding performance of players and coaches, respectively.