Times of India: Harendra Singh’s bond for the future

By Manuja Veerappa

For over two years they had a recurring dream, of being world champions. So, in the wee hours of Monday when they grudgingly wound up their post-victory celebrations, the Indian junior hockey team did not hit the sac.

They wanted to continue living their dream. In fact, when skipper Harjeet Singh finally decided to catch a few winks, he did that with the Trophy as his comforter! Heavily hungover with success, they returned to their respective homes to the rhythm of bhangra and dhols in different parts of the country. From unknown faces up until a week ago to becoming the toast of the nation, life has turned 360 degrees for the young bravehearts.

While the boys’ revelry continued, the architect of the team’s success, chief coach Harendra Singh, was back in the comfort of his Air India colony quarters in New Delhi. As Harendra returned home on Tuesday, he was welcomed back by the aroma of his favourite sevai (sweet dish) and paratha prepared by his wife Samiksha. Hours after returning home, the World Cup-winning coach had quickly slipped into his domestic role and was busy running errands for his family. It was just another day in Harendra’s life. Then again, it wasn’t. The triumph and what it meant to him and his team, was not lost on the 50-year-old.

For Harendra, the title triumph wiped away the humiliation he had to go through when he landed in New Delhi from Bihar as a teenager with the dream of representing the country .”People didn’t take kindly to me. My stick would be thrown around and people said, ‘Yeh Bihari log rickshaw chalane Dilli aatey hain, hockey khelne nahin'(Biharis come to Delhi to drive rickshaws not to play hockey.)

So, when I became a coach, it was very important for me to ensure no player was treated the way I was. I taught the players to respect each other,” recalled Harendra. According to the former international player, it was crucial for the players to strike a bond off the field to ensure success on the pitch. “The law of life is simple, to win something you have to lose something. Each player and support staff believed this and lived through those sacrifices. They are all young, were teenagers when they left home and entered the camp.

“With time, from players and support staff we became a family. Be it Holi, Ramzan, Diwali or Gurpurab, for over two years we celebrated these festivals with the family gifted to us by hockey.

The bonding between the boys became so strong that within a few months I realised if we could link this togetherness and emotional quotient with talent, a world-class team was in the making,” he revealed. “Deep within, I believed this team was cut out for great deeds. I remember, when we reached Lucknow, one of the reporters asked, ‘You finished 10th in the previous edition of the World Cup, where do you see the team this time’. I said, take the zero out (of 10), that will be the result,” added Harendra.

‘Team spirit and determination’

The success in the league matches translated into increase in the number of supporters in the stands. With that came the mounting pressure of expectations. As they entered the semifinals and the team was on the threshold of success, Harendra sat the boys down before the semifinal against Australia for a pep talk. “I told them to show their character in front of the home crowd. Character for me meant team spirit and determination to make the journey and sacrifices worthwhile. I said, ` Ask yourself, why you started playing hockey. Most of them said, to be on the top. Then I told them it is their chance to take that giant leap. That one step which would propel them to the top of the world.”

Reliving the winning moments, Harendra recalled, “The first reaction on the bench was that of disbelief. They had to pinch themselves to believe what had just happened. Now we are the world champions. They boys cried like babies.”
While jubilation recedes, the question is what next? “It is very important to keep these boys together and plan for their future ahead. The vision of course has to be Tokyo 2020. I can sense a 2020 Olympic medal. I know many players who played in Rio may not be around for the Tokyo Games, but I believe we have identified the replacements in each position.”