NEW DELHI: “Der aaye, durust aaye,” an old patron was thrilled to remark. At last, hockey returned to the refurbished Shivaji Stadium last week after repairs and restoration work at the facility had repeatedly missed deadlines.

For the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society especially, it was a long awaited return to its original home after five years of homelessness. During this time, it took its activities elsewhere to unaccustomed places, and to mark the occasion arranged for a celebratory bhangra number before the girls took over to play the inaugural match of this year’s under-17 tournament.