Stars from Shahbad
Prabhjot Singh

If there is a single reason for this historic town of Rishi Markandeya, a great follower of Lord Shiva, to remain in headlines, it is hockey. Otherwise a sleepy town in the historic Kurukshetra district, Shahbad has emerged as an undisputed nursery of Indian hockey in general, and of women hockey in particular after Independence.

Statistically speaking, it has outshone Sansarpur, acknowledged nursery of men’s hockey. Twenty-seven international players in 15 years, a record that remains unprecedented in the world of team sports. And intriguingly, a majority of the national and international stars emerging from this otherwise unknown town are from poor to lower middle class families.

Starting with rudimentary facilities of an uneven and unkempt playfield at town’s only Khalsa School, both girls and boys, not only worked hard to convert it into a lush green hockey playfield but also started dominating the national horizon in mid 1990s. Recognising the immense contribution young players of the town have made to our once national sport hockey, S.S. Dhesi, the then Director of Haryana Sports Department, got an astro-turf laid at Government Senior Secondary School, the current venue of the hockey nursery, that also has an ultra-modern gymnasium.

Since 1996, hardly any Indian women’s hockey team left the shores of the country without Shahbad Markanda represented on it.

Last week when India won the first Champions Challenger II gold at Kazan in Russia, five girls from Shahbad were in the playing XI. These girls — Jasdip Kaur (goal keeper), Joydeep (fullback), Surinder Kaur, Ritu Rani and Rani Rampal (all forwards) — not only played a stellar role in team’s title triumph but also sent a silent reminder to those controlling the sport back home that Shahbad has come to stay on the international scene for a long time.

Surinder Kaur, who was declared Player of the Tournament, could not have asked for a better gift to celebrate her 27th birthday that falls on July 12. She scored five goals in the tournament. When Surinder played her first national championship for Haryana in mid 1990s, she emerged top scorer with 33 goals to her credit. Nicknamed “goal machine”, she has been one of most prolific goal scorer for India for the past 10 years. In fact, she is first of the four speedy and crafty centre forwards that Shahbad has gifted to the nation.

Two of her colleagues — Ritu Rani and Rani Rampal — were also there in Kazan. Rani Rampal, now a student of Plus I at Government Senior Secondary School, was the top scorer with an individual tally of eight goals. Ritu Rani chipped in with three goals, all against Canada. Of the 26 goals scored by India, 18 came from these three Shahbad girls, a no mean achievement.

One person who has single-handedly brought Shahbad on the international hockey map is coach Baldev Singh, a product of Malwa Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana. For the past 15 years, he has been working with the girls, both in the mornings and evenings, turning them into national stars.

He remained associated with the training of Indian men’s team also as a colleague of Rajinder Singh Senior. Rajinder-Baldev duo had shown good results.

Shahbad has not only been turning out good goalkeepers, fullbacks and forwards but halfbacks also. Baldev himself had been a fullback.

Suman Bala, Rajni Bala, Bhupinder Kaur, and Sandeep Kaur (she captained India) Rajwinder Kaur and Joydeep Kaur have been some of the outstanding fullbacks to play for India. A future star, Jaspreet Kaur, is shaping up well to man India’s defence in future international matches.

Besides Jaspreet, other promising youngsters at the threshold of national stardom are Meenakshi Junior, Sandeep Kaur Junior, Monica and Jasjit Kaur.

Excelling in the game has not been a cakewalk for many of these players as they have overcome personal as well as financial limitations to make a mark for themselves. At least six of the players had lost their fathers early and had been brought up by their illiterate and hardworking mothers.

In the absence of any other facilities for pastime or entertainment, the only destination for girls is the hockey centre. “They basically eat, sleep and dream hockey,” says coach Baldev Singh, revealing that in some cases, love for hockey runs in the family. Gurpreet, Kiran Bala, Balwinder Kaur and Simarjeet Kaur are popular as Saini sisters.

Haryana Sports Department now runs a hockey academy where each of the selected 15 girls are provided a daily diet allowance of Rs 100. Harco Bank has adopted another batch of 37 young girls.

While Shahbad girls have done their best to bring laurels to both Haryana and the country, India is yet to recognise their contribution. Not even a single girl from this town has been given Arjuna Award. Even the coach, whose contribution remains matchless in the contemporary Indian hockey, too, has remained without a national award.