Times of India: Game paramount for first citizens of hockey

By Manuja Veerappa

BENGALURU: Abhinandan Kumar Bhardwaj, the right winger of Citizen Hockey team, is an aggressive force on the pitch. Although shy by nature off the field, what stands out in the wily player is his ability to take on challenges life throws at him consistently.

Abhinandan, 13, has seen his sister lose her limbs due to medical negligence following an accident. The left side of his father’s body is paralyzed and his mother is the key breadwinner through a tea stall they own in Delhi. When he is not playing hockey or studying at the Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Mahrauli in New Delhi, Abhinandan is busy helping his parents at their tea stall. Yet, ask the teenager about life and sport and he says, “Life sab kuch sikha deta hai aur hockey life mein ek maksad deta hai.”

The lad from Gorakhpur is among thousands of budding hockey players who are a part of a Delhi-based NGO – One Thousand Hockey Legs (OTHL). Through programmes in government schools, youngsters are drafted and taught hockey apart from spoken English and career counselling through classes. The team is currently participating in the Hockey India Sub-junior men’s national championship here.

For young players like Abhinandan, hockey is a healer which they also believe is their ticket to a better life and recognition. “My parents have never stopped me from playing hockey and I enjoy playing the sport. I put in a lot of hard work but once I get on to the field I forget everything. I wake up by 5am and sometimes cycle 15 km for training. I know my responsibilities so I help out at the tea stall as well,” pointed out the Gurbaj Singh fan whose sporting ambition is centred on representing India at the Olympics.

In contrast, Abhinandan’s teammate Gulshan Kumar hasn’t found much encouragement at home but that’s not stopped him from chasing his dream of being an India player.

Son of a stone-cutting factory worker, the 16-year-old has been hooked to hockey for the past five years. His mother, who lives in their ancestral home in Bihar, and father believe his future lies in studies, but Gulshan says while studies will not take a back seat, hockey is his priority.

To ensure his love for hockey does not come in the way of his responsibilities towards his family, the midfielder is up at the crack of dawn and helps his father cook a meal for him and his two siblings before heading for practice and school. Once back, it is Gulshan’s responsibility to cook dinner for the family.

Former Delhi hockey captain Gurmeet Singh, who has been coaching the team for a year now, said: “They all come from underprivileged backgrounds. Some of them can’t afford the bus fare to reach the ground. The beauty is that these boys don’t need to be motivated. They are self-motivated given the exposure they get in tournaments such as this. Children who come from backgrounds like this have greater hunger to succeed.”