TABLE OF CONTENTS

SERIAL PARTICULARS PAGE NO.

NO.
1 HISTORY OF MEN’S HOCKEY-
ITS ORIGIN
2 HISTORY OF WOMEN’S HOCKEY-
ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS
3 INDIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION-
ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS
4 THE GOLDEN MOMENTS OF
INDIAN HOCKEY- RECORD IN
OLYMPICS
5 GRADUAL DECLINE IN THE
PERFORMANCE OF HOCKEY
TEAM- CAUSES
6 INDIAN MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM
FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR
BEIJING OLYMPICS
7 RESIGNATION OF HIGH
OFFICIALS DUE TO THE FAILURE
8 CRICKET AND HOCKEY
COMPARED
9 LAYMAN’S SOLUTION FOR THE
REVIVAL OF INDIAN HOCKEY
OBJECTIVE

Every work is and should be supported by an objective. Without a specific

objective that particular work is of no use. Therefore every project work
should have something to say or teach people who are reading it.

Here the topic of discussion is the “JOURNEY OF INDIAN HOCKEY”. We are

here to discuss about how hockey evolved as a world famous game, how it
came to India and the way the Indians mastered it. But we have to consider
the slowdown in the performance of Indian hockey teams in the last 2-3
decades. It has really shown a downward trend. Then we will look upon the
causes for the decline and the measures for revival of Indian hockey.

My sole objective to make a project report on this topic is to create

awareness among my mates and the people, about HOCKEY the sport which
the people of our country have forgotten. . People don’t even know the
names of hockey players and the tournaments in which the team plays at
various levels. We just enjoy watching and gaining knowledge of sports like
Cricket, Tennis or Chess that’s it! The point to understand is that Hockey is
our national game and we have an immense pride associated with it so we
have to watch it, take part in it and support it.

HISTORY

Hockey is one of the many sports derived from pre historic man's delight in
stick and ball games. It is a game played between two teams on a field
with curved sticks and a small hard ball. Its birth place was Asia and
authorities credit Persia with having devised it about 2000BC. Modern
hockey was created in England. The true ancestor of hockey was Irish
hurling. The first hockey club was formed in Blackheath in 1861. The first
international match was played in 1895 between England and Ireland. In
1908 hockey was included in the modern Olympic Games. The most extra
ordinary aspect of its evolution is that a game once so rough and unruly was
adopted by women.

Hockey became popular in India when the British Regiments played the
game in India and introduced it in the British Indian Regiments who quickly
picked up the game. The first hockey club was formed in Calcutta in 1885-86
followed by Bombay and Punjab. The Bengal Hockey was the first Hockey
Association in India founded in 1908. With the popularity of the game,
associations were formed in different states like Bombay, Bihar, Orissa and
Delhi.

Women's hockey
Women's hockey developed separately from men's hockey. Women do not
seem to have played hockey widely before the modern era. Women's hockey
was first played at British Universities and schools, and the first club,
Molesey Ladies Hockey Club, was founded in 1887. The first national
association was the Irish Ladies Hockey Union in 1894, and though rebuffed
by the Hockey Association, women's hockey grew rapidly around the world.
This led to the formation of the International Federation of Women's Hockey
Associations (IFWHA) in 1927, though this did not include initially many
continental European countries where women played as sections of men's
associations and were affiliated to the FIH. The IFWHA held conferences
every three years, and the tournaments associated with these were the
primary IFWHA competitions. These tournaments were non-competitive until
1975.
By the early 1970's there were 22 associations with women's sections in the
FIH and 36 associations in the IFWHA. Discussions were started about a
common rule book. The FIH introduced competitive tournaments in 1974,
forcing the acceptance of the principle of competitive hockey by the IFWHA
in 1973. It took until 1982 for the two bodies to merge, but this allowed the
introduction of women's hockey to the 1980 Olympic Games, where, as in
the men's game, The Netherlands, Germany, and Australia have been
consistently strong.

National women's team

The Indian Women's Hockey Team is the national women's team
representing field hockey in India. Captain Suraj Lata Devi led the team to
the Gold for three consecutive years: during the 2002 Commonwealth
Games (the event which inspired the 2007 Bollywood hit film, Chak De
India), the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, and the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup. They
were referred to as the assi (Jasjeet) jaisi koi nahi or "Golden girls of hockey,"
after winning the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup. [10]
On 24 April 2008, India lost 2-1 to the United States during the 2008
Women's Field Hockey Olympic Qualifier. The team was thus eliminated from
the Beijing Olympics competition. On 29 April 2008, following the suspension
of the Indian Hockey Federation, [3] The Hindustan Times revealed that 16
days before leaving for the games, a report found many of the players to be
unfit for international competition. The report was quoted as stating, "Eleven
girls are suffering from different injuries and are under treatment and thus
not fit for international competition of Olympic qualifying standards." On June
27 2009, India became the first winner of the women's Champions Challenge
II in hockey history after they defeated Belgium 6-3 in the final in Kazan,
Russia.

INDIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION

The Indian Hockey Federation was formed in the year 1925 in Gwalior,
Madhya Pradesh during the Scindia Gold Cup tournament. But it was not
active after that.

After the end of the World War 1, the commander of the British Armed forces
in India, Field Marshall Birdwood who was in charge of organizing the retreat
of the combined Australian and New Zealand armies after the Gallipoli
tragedy proposed a hockey tour to New Zealand in 1926 as a friendship tour.
The tour Down Under gave a chance for revival of the Federations and thus
began the efforts of consolidating the Indian Hockey Federation as the Indian
Army's Hockey team toured New Zealand.
That was our first-ever foreign tour, and it was a smash hit. And New Zealand
made a profit of £300 even after paying India £500.
The Indian Hockey Federation gained global affiliation in 1927 and joined the
International Hockey Federation (FIH). A national championship between
provinces was organized in 1928 at Calcutta to select the Indian team for the
Amsterdam Olympics.

Thus began the history of Indian Hockey Federation as India entered the
Olympics to begin its golden saga. The Army Hockey team's tour to New
Zealand was the first tour undertaken by any Indian team representing IHF.
And the players were conscious to project a good image and they had
excellent skills that thrilled everyone. The tour was a huge success with India
winning 18 of the 21 matches and the legendary Dhyan Chand was the
cynosure of all the eyes scoring over 100 goals of the 192 Indian accounted
for.

Then India bagged a hat-trick of gold medals at the Olympics. They began
with Amsterdam in 1928 and followed it up with Los Angeles in 1932 and
Berlin in 1936.

For both Los Angeles and Berlin India had problems. For LA Games, India was
the only entry as the world was hit by economic depression. Then Indian
Hockey Federation president AM Hayman motivated Japan by organizing
Indian team visit to give them practice and persuaded hosts to enter the fray.
So hockey just managed to be in the Olympic field and that gave the world to
see the magic of Indian hockey.

Funds were also a problem in the lead-up to the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The
first Indian to head the IHF, Jagdish Prasad, managed by collecting Rs 11,376
out of the required sum of Rs 45,000 from royal families.

As such the hockey foundations were laid in the country, thanks to the
leadership of stalwarts like Birdwood, Hayman and Jagdish Prasad.

In 1934 after the second Olympic gold, the Indian Hockey Federation
inducted two Vice Presidents and a Treasurer. Thus the two member body of
President and Secretary got a boost to become a five-member body.

After the Indian Independence in 1947, Naval Tata became the first President
of the Indian Hockey Federation of Independent India.

During his tenure, the Indian team achieved another hat-trick of gold medals
at the 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Games and the Melbourne
Olympics. Then Ashwini Kumar took over from Tata and was at the helm of
affairs till 1974 to give way to MAM Ramaswamy.

Later, many presidents including I.M. Mahajan, Raja Bhalindra Singh and R.N.
Prasad ruled till K.P.S. Gill took over in 1994.

In this period, India could gain only one gold medal at the Moscow Olympics
in 1980 under the captaincy of Mr.V.Baskaran.

Under the present regime with Mr. K.P.S. Gill at the helm, assisted by
Mr.K.Jothikumaran as Secretary General India started on a long road back
developing hockey at all the age-group levels. Indian teams started winning
the regional tournaments at Asian level and IHF is drafting ways to revive the
past glory.
 Indian Hockey Federation
S.
Period President
No
1 1925-1927 Col. Bruce Jurnbull
2 1927-1929 Maj. Burn Murdoch
3 1929-1931 Shri. R. E. Powell
4 1931-1933 Shri. A. M. Hyman
5 1933-1936 Shri. Joseph Bhore
6 1936-1937 Shri. Jagdish Prasad
7 1937-1938 Shri. M. N. Sircar
Shri. Muhamad Zafrullah
8 1938-1939
Khan
Shri. Khwajasir
9 1939-1945
Nizimuddin
10 1945-1947 Shri. Azizulnaque
11 1947-1958 Shri. Naval H. Tata
12 1958-1975 Shri. Aswini Kumar
Shri. M. A. M.
13 1975-1980
Ramaswamy
14 1980-1983 Shri. I. M. Mahajan
15 1983-1985 Shri. Raja Bhpinder Singh
Shri. M. A. M.
16 1985-1987
Ramaswamy
17 1987-1994 Shri. R. Prasad
18 1994-2008 Shri. K. P. S. Gill
Hockey is the only event in which India has won Gold Medals - 8 of them.
Hockey was considered the National Game of India. Unmatched excellence
and incomparable virtuosity brought India a string of Olympic gold medals.
The brilliant Indians brought a touch of black magic to their play and the ball
juggling feats of the Indians were a sheer delight.
The Golden Era of hockey in India was the period from 1928 - 1956 when
India won 6 consecutive gold medals in the Olympics. During the Golden Era,
India played 24 Olympic matches, won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an
average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. The two other
gold medals for India came in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980
Moscow Olympics.
In 1956, after India won the last of its six consecutive gold medals, the
manager of the Pakistan hockey team, Riazuddin Ahmed said, "This is the
first time that we played India in the Olympics. The next time we play, the
result will be different." His prophetic words came true in 1960, when after
28 consecutive victories in the Olympic Games, India lost 0-1 to Pakistan in
the 1960 Rome Olympics final. Gold had finally turned to silver and a magical
era had ended.
Let’s look briefly but closely into the performances by the Indian Men’s
hockey team in the Olympics since its introduction in 1928.
1. Amsterdam Olympics of 1928:

The Amsterdam Games became the first stage, for the wizardry of Dhyan
Chand. The wizardry was not only meant for the spectators, but also for the
opponents, for during several moments, the opponents were like spectators,
with sticks and jerseys, as they could only watch Dhyan Chand`s magic and
could do nothing about it. He was referred as "The Hockey Wizard" after a
sensational feat in the final of the Punjab Indian Infantry tournament in the
town of Jhelum. Dhyan Chand then scored three goals in the last four
minutes for his side to snatch a dramatic victory. Dhyan Chand was the Star
attraction during the Amsterdam games. Richard James Allen, the
goalkeeper, did not concede a single goal in the 1928 Olympics. Allen, who
kept India`s goal in 3 consecutive Olympics (1928, 1932, 1936), conceded a
total of only 3 goals in the 3 Olympics.

India`s record in the 1928 Olympics at Amsterdam:

Played: 5
Won: 5
Goals For: 29
Goals Against: 0

2. Los Angeles Olympics of 1932:

The 1932 Olympics witnessed couple of world records created by Indians

that still stand unbroken. The biggest score in an international hockey match
is the 24-1 victory of India over the USA, played on August 11, 1932. The
record for the most number of goals scored in a single hockey match belongs
to Roop Singh, who slammed in ten goals in the 24-1 rout of USA. India
scored 24 goals in the 1932 Olympics, of which the brothers popularly known
as the "hockey brothers" scored 25 of them. They were, Left- in Roopsingh
(10) and Centre Forward Dhyan Chand (14). The hockey brothers went on to
represent India in the 1936 Olympics also, winning yet another gold medal
for India.

In the 24-1 victory against the USA, there is a very amusing tale about the
solitary goal scored by the Americans; the defenders had decided to let the
Americans have a run, but when they looked behind, there was no
goalkeeper. The Indian goalkeeper Richard Allen was signing autographs
behind the goal post!

India's record in at Los Angeles:

Played: 5
Won: 5
Goals For: 38
Goals Against: 1

3. Berlin Olympics of 1936:

The Indians, this time led by the wizard Dhyan Chand himself, did not receive
an altogether pleasant welcome in Germany. Just a day after their arrival in
Germany, they lost against a German side, 4-1. India beat Hungary 4-0,
United States 7-0 and Japan 9-0. Dara joined the team for the 10-0 massacre
of France in the semi-finals. Indians had not conceded a single goal in their
march to the finals.

India met Germany in the final on August 15, 1936. A crowd of around
40,000 people, the biggest crowd till then to witness an Olympic hockey
match, had gathered. Among the audience was the ruler of Baroda, the
princess of Bhopal and other Indians who had traveled from the Continent,
and of course Hitler, who left the match midway, disgusted at Germany`s
plight.

India was up by 6 goals in the finals. The Germans decided to play a rough
game and went after Dhyan Chand, which resulted in a broken tooth for the
Indian captain, due to the German goalkeeper. Coming back after receiving
first aid, Dhyan Chand, now playing barefoot instructed his team to go easy
on goals. As the stunned crowd watched, the Indians repeatedly took the ball
up to the German circle and then back passed to mystify their opponents.
India vanquished Germany 8-1 in the finals to win its third successive
Olympic gold medal.

The supreme tribute to Dhyan was by a sports club in Vienna, which built a
statue of Dhyan Chand with four hands and four sticks. To the Viennese, no
man with two hands and one stick could have played the way Dhyan Chand
did.

India's record at Berlin:

Played: 5
Won: 5
Goals For: 38
Goals Against : 1
4. London Olympics of 1948:

A lot of events occurred between the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and the London
Olympics in 1948. India got its independence, but suffered a devastating
partition, where many Anglo-Indians left the country and a number of
Muslims migrated to Pakistan. India lost a rich recruiting ground for hockey
talent. A brand new Indian team left for London, without a single player who
had played in an earlier Olympics. The captain of the Pakistan hockey team
in the 1948 Olympics was A. I. S. Dara who had represented India in the
1936 Berlin Olympics. Besides Dara, Paul Peter Fernandes and Bhopal`s
Akhtar Hussain and Latif-ur-Rehman, have represented both India and
Pakistan in the Olympics.

India defeated Austria 8-0 in their first match. India followed up this victory
by defeating Argentina 9-1, Spain 2-0, and Holland 2-1 to enter the finals.
India faced England for the first time in an Olympic hockey match on
September 12, 1948, at Wembley grounds, in the Olympic hockey final. India
defeated Britain 4-0 to win its fourth consecutive gold medal. This medal is
extremely special for India, as it is the first gold medal won by India under
the Indian tricolour. Balbir Singh Sr. excelled as a centre-forward and scored
2 goals for India, while Pat Jansen and Trilochan Singh scored the other two.

India's record at London:

Played: 5
Won: 5
Goals For: 25
Goals Against: 2

5. Helsinki Olympics of 1952:

India defeated Austria 4-0 and Great Britain 3-1 and stormed to the finals.
Holland challenged the Olympics champions but lost 1-6 and India won the
hockey crown for the 5th time in a row, in 1952 Olympics held at Helsinki,
Finland. Balbir Singh Sr. scored 9 goals of the 13 scored by India, including 5
of the 6 goals in the final. Chinnadorai Desamuthu became the youngest
gold medalist for India. He was 19 years and 272 days when India won the
Olympic title in the Helsinki Games.
India's record at Helsinki:

Played: 3
Won: 3
Goals For: 13
Goals Against: 2

6. Melbourne Olympics of 1956:

12 teams were divided into 3 groups in the 1956 Olympics. India won all the
group matches, beating Afghanistan 14-0, USA 16-0 and Singapore 6-0.
When they entered the semi finals India had scored 36 goals in 3 games,
with no goals against. India then scraped past Germany with a 1-0 victory in
the semi-finals.

For the first time, India met Pakistan, in the 1956 Olympic final. Midway
through the second half, India was awarded a penalty corner. The ball was
pushed out by Udham Singh and stopped by Raghbir Singh Bhola. Randhir
Singh Gentle took the shot. A Pakistani defender failed to trap it cleanly and
allowed the ball to trickle over the goal line. This goal turned out to be
another gold winner, for the sixth time in a row, until then a record for any
country in any team sport in the Olympics. Inside-left Udham Singh scored
15 goals for India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics - the highest tally by an
Indian at an Olympics till that date.

India's record at Melbourne:

Played : 5
Won : 5
Goals For : 38
Goals Against : 0

7. Tokyo Olympics of 1964:

The Tokyo Olympics were the first Olympics to be held on Asian ground. The
team went on a two-and-a-half month tour to New Zealand and Malaysia
before heading to Tokyo. In the pool matches, India finished at the top with
12 points. India beat Belgium 2-0, was held to a draw by Germany and Spain,
beat Hong Kong 6-0, Malaysia 3-1, Canada 3-0 and Holland 2-1. In the semi-
final, India beat Australia 3-1 to set up their third consecutive clash with
Pakistan in the Olympic finals. Pakistan had defeated India 1- 0 in the 1960
Rome Olympics, to end India`s Consecutive Olympic victory series.

The final was played on November 23, 1964, at the Kamazawa Park in Tokyo.
The first half was played at a scorching pace but no goal was scored. There
was an unruly incident with some of the Pakistanis attacking the Indian
players. The match was briefly interrupted for the tempers to cool down. The
forward line comprising Harbinder Singh and Joginder Singh was irresistible
that day. 5 minutes into the second half, a penalty corner was awarded to
India which was taken by India`s `Rock of Gibralter` Prithipal Singh.

Prithipal had been fantastic in the Tokyo Olympics thus far, and had scored
11 goals. However, this penalty corner was to be his most important. His
stinging shot was deflected off the goalkeeper`s pad and stopped by
Pakistan`s full back Munir Dar with his foot. Centre-half Mohinder Lal
converted the resultant penalty stroke in the 41st minute to give India a 1-0
lead.

IHF President Ashwini Kumar did the running commentary for Akashvani in
the final at Tokyo. Each move forward by India was a potential goal in his
eyes. And when Mohinder Lal converted the penalty stroke, a hysterical
Ashwini Kumar cried himself hoarse. Pakistan fought back ferociously in the
closing stages of the match and gave India many anxious moments. Shankar
Lakshman, the Indian goal Keeper, played superbly and magnificently saved
two penalty corner hits. India held on to its slender lead to win its seventh
gold medal in eight Olympic games. Shankar Lakshman, one of India`s best
ever goalkeepers, was declared the Man of the Match.

India's record at Tokyo:

Played: 9
Won: 7
Drawn: 2
Goals For: 22
Goals Against: 5
8. Moscow Olympics of 1980:

9 teams from the 1976 Montreal Olympic hockey competition did not
compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympic hockey tournament. The boycotting
teams included the top 3 teams at Montreal - New Zealand (gold), Australia
(silver) and Pakistan (bronze). European hockey powerhouses Germany,
Holland and Great Britain also did not compete in this boycott of the 1980
Olympic Games. India had fared very badly in the Montreal Olympics; they
had come down to the 7th position. The Moscow Olympics hockey
competition was played on Poligras fields laid at the Dynamo and Young
Pioneers clubs.

In a greatly weakened field of participants, India thrashed last minute entry

Tanzania 18-0 in its first match. India scored 5 goals in 5 minutes. This huge
victory over Tanzania was the second biggest score in Olympic hockey, after
the 24-1 victory by India over USA in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

India was lucky to get away with a 2-2 draw with Poland in the next game,
with Merwyn Fernandes equalizing for India with only 5 seconds to spare.
India had another lucky 2-2 draw with Spain, with the equalizer coming in the
last 4 minutes. After surviving these hiccups, India beat Cuba 13-0 and hosts
USSR 4-2 to come second in the pool (behind Spain) and qualify for the final.

In the final against Spain, India had a rousing start and established a
comfortable three goal lead early in the second half. But Spain gamely
bounced back into the game with 2 unanswered goals. With Spain raiding the
Indian defence, and with only 6 minutes left, Mohammed Shaheed scored a
goal. However, with only 4 minutes remaining, Spain scored yet again with
their skipper Juan Amat completing his hattrick. The atmosphere in the last
few minutes was electric, and India finally won the thriller 4-3, and thus
regained the elusive gold after 16 long years. Spain had to be content with
the Fairplay Trophy.

The 16 goals scored by centre forward Surinder Singh Sodhi in the 1980
Moscow Olympics is the highest tally by an Indian in an Olympic hockey
competition. It beat the earlier record of 15 goals set by the great Udham
Singh in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
India's record at Moscow:

Played: 6
Won: 4
Drawn: 2
Goals For: 43
Goals Against: 9

Mir Ranjan Negi- An important chapter in Indian hockey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mir Ranjan Negi is a field hockey player and former goalkeeper of the India
national field hockey team. He would later be involved with the development
of the 2007 hit film, Chak De India.

1982 Asian Games

In the 1982 Asian Games, Negi was the goalkeeper for the India national field
hockey team in the final field hockey match against Pakistan. India lost 1-7,
which brought "unprecedented humiliation for India in a sporting arena. The
nation went into a mourning and Negi into hiding. Negi was accused in some
quarters of having conceded those goals." Of the event, journalist Anand
Philar stated, "I had covered the 7-1 drubbing Pakistan handed out to India in
the 1982 Asian Games final, which turned goalkeeper Negi's life upside
down. He was literally pilloried by armchair critics, the media and an
ignorant public for letting in so many goals. Some of the tabloids even ran
headlines crying out that Pakistan had bribed Negi and that he was a
'traitor.'" In an interview with Philar after the event, Negi stated,
"Everywhere I went, was abused by the public. Nothing matters to me more
than playing for my country. I am a proud Indian and will always be so. There
were lots of things that happened in the run-up to the final. You find out. I
will not speak about the politics that contributed to our defeat." Former
captain Zafar Iqbal later stated, "The entire team was to blame; we forwards
missed chances, the defense left huge gaps that the Pakistanis exploited.
Despite making great efforts to cover the gaps, poor Negi became a sitting
duck and the Pakistanis scored at will. He was blamed solely, but every
player was to blame. The atmosphere was vicious. I remember someone
claiming that he had seen Negi come out of the Pakistan High Commission
on match eve some even enquired whether Negi, with his first name Mir, was
Muslim." Afterwards, he was let go by the Indian Hockey Federation and quit
the game for many years.

Later career
He returned as a goalkeeping coach for the 1998 Asian Games in which the
India national field hockey team won the Gold. This position, however, only
proved temporary and he left the game once again. Four years later, Negi
was hired to be the goalkeeping coach of the India women's national field
hockey team. The team won the Gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. [4]
He was also the assistant coach for the Women's team when it won the Gold
at the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup.[5]

Chak De India
Negi would later become involved in the development of the 2007 Bollywood
film, Chak De India. The screenplay for Chak De India was written by
Bollywood screenwriter Jaideep Sahani. Sahani had read a small article about
the winning of the Gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games by the India
women's national field hockey team and thought that the premise would
make an interesting film. Negi has often been compared with Kabir Khan in
the media.
On this connection Negi, himself, would later comment, "This movie is not a
documentary of Mir Ranjan Negi's life. It is in fact the story of a team that
becomes a winning lot from a bunch of hopeless girls [...] there is nothing
called World Championships in international hockey. It would be stupid to
believe that Yash Raj Films would pump in Rs.450 million to make a
documentary on me. So it's illogical that it is a documentation of my life."
Sahani further stated in an interview with The Hindu:
I felt why the girls’ team has been given so little coverage. I shared the
idea with Aditya (Chopra). He liked it and said stop everything else and
concentrate on it. I started my research by spending time with hockey
players [...] It’s just a matter of chance that Negi's story matches with
Kabir Khan. There are many cases, like in Columbia, football players
are killed for not performing well for the club. I had no idea about
Negi’s story while writing the script, and he joined us after the script
was ready. In fact, his name was suggested by M.K. Kaushik, who was
the coach of the team that won the Commonwealth Games’ gold. On
day one, when Negi read the script, he cried and it was then that we
came to know about his story.
Sahani also stated in another interview with NDTV.com that the script was
conceived before he met Negi:
"Our script was written a year and a half back. It is very unfortunate
that something, which is about women athletes, has just started
becoming about Negi. And if you would go and ask Negi, he would
probably tell you that he came and read the script that was written a
year and a half back, and he started crying. Next day, he came and
said look, it had happened to me also."
Both Kaushik and Negi did influence the development of the film after being
approached by Sahini. Sahini first met with Kaushik and later recalled that,
"M K Kaushik and his girls taught us all we knew about hockey. Then he
recommended Negi to us, because when we finished writing and finished
casting, we needed someone to train the girls. Negi assembled a team of
hockey players to train the girls." Kaushik also states in the same interview
that, "I taught him everything about the game, starting from how the camp
is conducted, how the girls come from different backgrounds and cultures,
the psychological factors involved. Also how the coach faces pressure to
select girls from different states and teams." Sahini also contacted Negi and
asked him to coach the actors portraying the hockey team. While not initially
enthusiastic about being involved in the film, Negi changed his mind after
reading the screenplay. He acted as the coach and trainer for the cast
stating, "I trained the girls for six months. Waking up at 4, travelling from
Kandivili to Churchgate. We would retire around 11 in the night. It was tiring.
But we were on a mission [...] They couldn’t run; couldn’t hold the hockey
sticks. I ensured none of them [would have to] cut their nails or eye-brows
(as the players do). The girls have worked very hard. I salute them." Some of
the actors however, such as Chitrashi, Sandia, and Raynia were cast because
they are actual hockey players. Negi also had to train Shahrukh Khan for the
film stating, "I had to plan every hockey move shown in the movie, including
the penalty stroke that SRK missed. That shot alone took us nearly 20 hours
as I was keen that it should be very realistic. I took the help of a lot of my
former teammates. But more importantly, it was so easy working with SRK.
He is unbelievably modest and was willing to do as many re-takes as we
wanted."

PAST AND PRESENT STATUS OF INDIAN HOCKEY-

Gradual decline in the performance of Indian Men’s
hockey team

India was once the traditional home of hockey. Other nations were admiring
and imitating it. None could vanquish the Indian players. The early history of
Indian hockey is a glorious one. It had almost a virtual monopoly. Right from
1928 it won six Olympic gold medals in a row—at Amsterdam (1928), Los
Angeles (1932), Berlin (1936), London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne
(1956).
But at the next Olympic Games in 1960 at Rome it had to be satisfied with a
silver medal. The golden days of Indian hockey were passing. At the next
meet at Tokyo in 1964 it made a herculean effort to regain its lost glory and
succeeded in getting gold again. At the next two Olympic meets in Mexico
City (1968) and Munich (1972), the fall was steeper. It won only bronze.
Renewed efforts by the Indian team to go back to the original slot ended in
miserable failure. It could not get even bronze at Montreal (1976). It got the
7th rank! What a fall was there, my countrymen moaned the hockey - lovers.
The Indian team was enthused to make another attempt at Moscow in 1980.
Thank Heavens! India got gold once again. It was the last occasion when the
team romped home with gold.

Dismal failures:
But the Indian hockey team did not lose hope completely. It is a lesson you
should heed. “Try, try, try again” is an old English rhyme. Indians did try
again and again, as Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992),
Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). This is a long list of dismal
failures. The team was placed in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 7th and 7th ranks
respectively. The history of Indian hockey is the story of continuous drift
from glory to disgrace. The Olympian Gods of ancient Greece were
determined to teach Indians a lesson. Why do these people keep coming
back to the Olympics again and again, when it is proved beyond doubt that
they are worthless? The Gods might have thought so.

The thousand dollar question is — what went wrong and when? The
shortest answer is that it has gone wrong, and has been going wrong over
several years. This only makes the story short. But to know the travails of the
game one has to go deep into it and analyze the causes. It is a case of
missed opportunities and a clear lack of perception and perspective. It is like
the dancer who blames the stage floor for her miserable performance.
In the next few pages, we shall discuss about factors which led to a steep
decline in the performance of Indian hockey teams

CAUSES-
 1. Leadership problems
India was a free nation when the Olympics resumed after World War II (in
1948), but financial hardships continued. Naval Tata had to use his
persuasive skills with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to send teams to the
1948 and 1952 Games. His successor Ashwini Kumar went a step further,
mortgaging ancestral property to ensure the team participated in Melbourne.
For about three decades when these two luminaries ruled Indian hockey, no
team returned without an Olympic medal. Ashwini in particular asserted his
authority in the FIH and it counted on our on-field successes. But he had to
go after finishing second and third respectively at the 1972 Olympics and the
1973 World Cup.
With the advent of synthetic turf, hockey changed forever. But the first
synthetic surface came to India six years after it was introduced. And every
time we failed, a scapegoat was found in the artificial surface. But the
Montreal Olympics fiasco, where India finished seventh, was not due to
synthetic turf — we lost out on a semi-final spot in the tie-breaker.
Neither can the surface be blamed for India’s later disasters. We have been
just a point away from every Olympic semi-final since 1984, except in 1992
and 2004. The turf was not the reason we missed the 1984 Olympic semi-
finals by a whisker, neither for our draw against Poland at Sydney. Equally,
our 1998 Asiad and 2003 Asia Cup successes were no flukes.
Our failures on the international stage were primarily due to a lack of
leadership. The change in playing surface or the rule changes did contribute
somewhat, but the moot point is that our leadership could not ensure we
moved with the times.

2. Not converting and paying the penalty

From the mid 70s to early 90s, India lost in most tournaments because of
penalty-corners. Our forwards earned them by the dozens but we missed
someone like Prithipal Singh to cash in on them. Our teams swam against
the current and drowned. Europe produced an unending stream of PC
specialists but we were clueless about grooming our own. Instead, the IHF
kept changing coaches.

3. Is Cricket the only sport in India?

Cricket is the only sport that the country follows. I love the game
(cricket), or rather use to, as its not the same anymore. The recent
auction of players was a clear example of the future of the sport. "I
don't understand the game, but I have lot of money, let's go buy some
players and see what we get," says some XYZ celebrity.
 Spending millions of rupees on buying players, a rather ridiculous thing
to do in my opinion, when other sports in the country are no where
close to where cricket has reached in terms of popularity, media
attention etc. Instead pump in some money in other sports, hockey
needs it for sure. Other sports are always meted out step-motherly
treatment by the government. This is how they are discriminated -

- Cricketers are put up in the best of hotels, while hockey and football
players are put up in the stadium itself.

- While cricketers these days get match fees, and hockey players get a
mere $30 for expenses.

- Many times players play an entire tournament with just two sets of
shirts and shorts, and cricketers, we all know.

4. Rewards Galore for Cricketers, and for hockey players?

When the Indian cricket team won the Twenty20 World Cup, they were
welcomed like heroes as if they have won a battle and the government
(central and state) announced cash rewards of lakhs of rupees for each
player. In fact there was competition going on between states in announcing
cash rewards for cricketers. During the same time, Indian hockey team won
the Asia Cup, and what rewards were given to them? What media coverage
was given to them? Hockey is our national sport, cricket is a commonwealth
game, which is not even played by several countries.

Irked by this treatment, the then chief coach of the national team, Joaquim
Carvalho, planned to go on hunger strike. He said that Sahara had
announced a house each for the cricketers but hockey players were not even
given a match box. Former Olympian Mervyn Fernandis and himself were
offered 'flats' by the Maharashtra government 18 years ago for their
outstanding performances in the game, and they are yet to get their flats.

5. Game of the underdog and minorities

There is a unique, stirring quality to hockey as a sport. Some day it will find a
Ramchandra Guha to figure out its sociology, but, in so many ways, and like
many other speed-contact sports, Indian hockey is the game of the underdog
and the minorities.
In the Indian subcontinent, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and now even the
Ranchi tribals, have excelled in the game. Dileep Tirkey, 25, and a tribal from
Orissa, is our national captain, and he did not need the benefit of any
reservation from any Mayawati. Most of us are not even conscious of his very
humble tribal origins.
Professional sport is the world’s fairest, most level playing field, and thus a
social equaliser. Hockey has the potential of becoming an Indian equivalent
of European and Latin American football as a socio-economic, ethnic
homogeniser in a sporting melting pot.
The football world is full of stars who came from nowhere to lead the big
league. David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand are East London boys. El Hadji
Diouf (Liverpool), was marauding with a street gang in Senegal when talent-
scouts found him.
If cricket cannot do it as effectively as hockey or football, it is because it still
is an upper-class game, requiring facilities, a pitch, gloves and pads, and lots
of coaching. It doesn’t have the rough-and-ready character of a
contact/speed sport that readily absorbs raw talent and lets it flourish.
After all, in which other sports do you see an Oraon or a Munda or a Santhal
or a Manipuri becoming the captain of the national team? In hockey, just try
to keep them out!

Article courtesy Indian Express, September 7, 2002

6. It happens only in India

IHF has undoubtedly failed to market the game or capitalize on victories, and
so has the media and above all the government. Australia, England, South
Africa, New Zealand etc., play cricket, but do they marginalize other sports.
Cricket might be one of the popular sports in the country, but they aren't
indifferent to other sportsmen. In fact the Australian cricket team is the best
in the world, but do other sports in Australia get neglected in the bargain?

As much as I love India for its natural, scenic beauty, I despise the
government and the media who give inane coverage to the cricketers. Don't
blame the hockey players for not performing, what incentives do they get to
perform?

Sum other major loopholes or drawbacks which are leading to the decline of
hockey are as following:-

1) Very few cadre from school

2) Very few international and domestic level competitions.

3) No participation of departments at state level.

4) No encouragement to youth.

5) No more grounds left for practice.

6) No more job facility.

INDIAN TEAM FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR THE 2008

BEIJING OLYMPICS

First time in 80 years India not playing in Olympics, Hard to digest, any one
who follows hockey in India know that Indian hockey is running low for past
several years, But this is Shocker of a news to hear eight time gold medalist
failed to qualify to play in Beijing Olympics. The team lost to Britain 2-0 in
the final of the qualifying tournament at Santiago, Chile. It was the first time
ever that India was facing this ignominy. They had made it to every Olympic
ames since making a triumphant debut in 1928. Britain gold medalists in
1988 scored two early goals and shattered the hopes of every Indian hokey
fan, looking for a revival under coach Joachim cavalho.
Indian Hockey in Chaos: IHF Secretary caught accepting
bribe in sting operation

No, it is not KPS ‘super cop’ Gill who came under media scrutiny this time but
his secretary K Jothikumaran who has been blamed for another debacle in
Indian hockey. Indian Hockey Federation secretary K Jothikumaran’s destiny
didn’t favour him for the first time in past 14 years and the camera caught
him demanding and taking bribe to select hockey player in national side. The
power of money, not the performance, was the basis of the selection of the
Hockey player to play in next tournament.
There were some rumors about such shady deals involving him but it has
been proved now and the man, second most powerful person in IHF, has
been exposed by a sting operation. People have seen him on TV channel
taking money to get a player selected for the Azlan Shah Cup to be held at
Kuala Lumpur in May. It gives an impression that Indian Hockey is in hands of
monsters and struggling to stay alive in the country.
Jothikumaran has been IHF Secretary for 14 years and he, along with K P S
Gill, has been blamed for Indian hockey’s decline over the last couple of
decades.
The channel showed Jothikumaran receiving Rs 2 lakh and claimed that after
4-5 days he confirmed the selection of the player in the list of probables for
Azlan Shah Cup tournament.
Later, former hockey player Dhanraj Pillay remembered how Jothikumaran
had selected Adam Sinclair to play in the 2004 Athens Olympic. He claimed
that Sinclair did not know how to hit the ball and coach Gerard Rach taught
him thrice a day the basics of the game.
For KPS gill, this is not a serious matter. He was looking non-committal when
asked about any investigation or inquiry against his secretary. He said:
The channel have shown him taking money. We have to look into the
seriousness of the allegations. Probes, inquiries are different things.
Former India captain Pargat Singh said on the matter:
We have been hearing about it for a long time. This is a shocking thing to
have happened. He should be immediately sacked and a criminal case
should be lodged against him. It is a great shame, that has brought the
downfall of hockey and Jothikumar and Gill should be shown the door.

Who is K Jothikumaran – He was an obscure hockey player in university-

level game. He worked as a clerk with the State Bank of India. His rise to
power in IHF has been phenomenal and he became the second-most
powerful man in Indian hockey. Former IHF president MAM Ramaswamy
favored Jothi’s selection into the hockey officialdom in early 90s. Since then,
one time SBI clerk opened a chain of hotels in Madurai. He even supported
Gill’s entry into IHF in 1994 and Gill rewarded him with the post of Secretary
in Federation.
He is the member of International Hockey Federation’s Development &
Coaching Council. He is country’s key man at all international forums,
including Indian Olympic Association, Asian Hockey Federation, Asian Games
and FIH. Finally, the coordinator of FIH’s ‘Revive Indian Hockey’ project
damaged the infrastructure of India’s national game.

RESIGNATION OF KPS GILL

He has been the chief of the Indian Hockey Federation for 14 long years, and
he doesn't

find the need to resign. An alcoholic, Gill has failed miserably in his despotic
tenure; his

collisions with the players are well known. Post defeat, Gill was quoted
as saying, "I will not resign. We do not have a machine that you can
get results instantly. We've put the process in place and the results
will take some time." How often has he said that, I remember doing a
piece on the state of hockey in India in 2003, and five years down the line,
nothing has changed?

Political leaders join chorus against K.P.S. Gill

New Delhi (PTI): Political leaders on Monday joined the chorus against Indian
Hockey Federation President K P S Gill and demanded his removal in the
wake of India's failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
CPI Member of Parliament Gurudas Dasgupta was the most vociferous in his
demand for Gill's head, saying it was high time that he was "thrown out"
from his post.
"It's a matter of shame that we could not qualify for the Olympics. I know
that there have been a number of complaints against the IHF President.
There is nobody in the country to look after the sport," he said.
On whether Gill should resign from his post, Dasgupta said, "I do not want
him to resign. I want him to be thrown out, just to be kicked out."
Fellow CPI leader D Raja said, "It's a matter of shame that not only in
hockey, the second most populated country is not competent enough in
other sports as well.
"(There is need to) evolve a comprehensive sports and games policy so that
all sports and games are promoted equally and money must be allocated
adequately," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is on the tour of Orissa, said he
received several complaints about the "unfair" selection process prevailing
in hockey.
"I went to a tribal academy for hockey players and one of the biggest
complaints was that the selection process is unfair and the players who are
actually good do not get access to the facilities," he said.

Sports Minister MS Gill asked Indian Hockey Chief KPS

Gill today to quit after the shameful act of taking bribe by IHF
general secretary K Jyothikumaran, who had resigned after the
incident, is exposed on Monday.

“In full consideration of the situation facing Indian Hockey, and

the national need, I urge him, to consider withdrawing from his current
responsibility. It is time to let other Indians, make an attempt, to lift our

hockey,” he said.
Endorsed by the incident of taking bribe of Rs 2 lakhs by Jyotikumaran last

night for selection of player in senior hockey team the

minister said, “he(Jyotikumaran) should also step down to restore

faith in the hockey establishment.”

MS Gill was hurt by this unfortunate incident in the

Indian Hockey.

Everyone is criticizing the Indian Hockey and the

corruption going inside the national game. Who is the real

culprit? How to expose the corrupt people behind the scene? Some former

players are pointing to KPS Gill and blaming him for all that
happenings.
“Jyothikumaran is not the only one to be blamed as the real culprit is

Gill, who is exploiting the Indian hockey

for many years now,” Former Hockey player Aslam Sher Khan
said.
Another former Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon said there had always been “an
unnecessary interference” of officials in team selection and advocated the

change in regime at the IHF. “Gill and Co has ruined the Indian
hockey in last 14 years. Lone ouster of Jyothikumaran would not help but
there has to be a complete change of regime with a former player being
handed over the reins,” he said.
The issue is subjected in Lok Sabha also. The members asked criminal
proceedings against the responsible people behind the corruption in IHF.
“The Indian Olympic Association and the government should initiate an
inquiry into the matter and punish the corrupt,” said VK Malhotra, deputy
leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha.
“Such people should be publicly hanged,” said Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP
Ilyas Azmi.

Today hockey, our national game, is in such a bad shape

because of these people. “

The minister said, “Since yesterday, I have agonized long over

the IHF. It’s recent disaster in Chile is still fresh in every Indian mind. Now,
trust and faith in fair selection is shaken. I believe, in the totality of the
situation, the IHF President must also introspect and review his position.”
After this shameful controversial exposure of the corruption in IHF there is no

trust left in selection procedure for the hockey team now. All
faith and hopes are shattered. Our national game is disgraced. This is the
embarrassing situation for every Indian!
Spaniard Jose Brasa- India's New Hockey Coach

Jose Brasa has been appointed as the

new coach of the Indian hockey team.
He will remain the coach of the hockey team till 2010 Asian Games in
Guangzhou.

The contract with the Spaniard may be extended further after the quarterly
assessment. Apart from him, the hockey team will also get David Terez of
Spain as physical trainer. Jose Brasa will be paid $111,415 per year as
remuneration while Terez will get $79,600. A senior International Hockey
Federation (FIH) master coach, Jose Brasa also led the Spanish women's
team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
After the resignation of Joaquim Carvalho as Indian hockey coach on March
last year, the team was without a permanent coach. Joaquim Carvalho
relinquished his job after the Indian hockey team failed to qualify for the
2008 Beijing Olympics. After Carvalho departure, Australian Ric Charlesworth
took over as the technical adviser of the team for a brief period.
Charlesworth also left the job after having differences with Indian sports
ministry and hockey officials. Currently, Harendra Singh is mentoring the
hockey team.

Can Brasa revive Indian hockey?

After being down in the dumps since failing to qualify for the Olympics for
the first time since 1928, the Indian men's hockey team is aiming to
resurrect itself under the guidance of Spaniard Jose Brasa.
The first step in the bid to revive the sagging fortunes of the country's
national game, is the four-nation European tour that the team has now
embarked on under new chief coach Brasa.
Brasa advice to Indian hockey to forget about the country's past glory,
signified by its eight Olympic gold medals till 1980, would not have gone
down well with the hockey stalwarts of the past.
The Spaniard's pointed reference that hockey in India is content to rest on
laurels earned almost three decades ago and that its players have not
adapted to the amended international rules are bitter pills to swallow for the
hockey fans.
"Indian hockey seems to be living in the past. My task is to ensure that they
[players] change their pattern of play to produce better results," were his
words before departing for Europe to play 12 Test matches against higher
ranked teams England, Belgium, Spain and Netherlands.
Brasa has been brought in to pilot Indian hockey back to the pinnacle of
glory it enjoyed before the prolonged slump that resulted in the team's
failure to qualify for last year's Beijing Olympics.
The slide down the pecking order for Indian hockey, which has now resulted
in the country being ranked outside the top 10 among men, has been
gradual but the powers that be were indifferent to what lay in store for too
long.
The slump started much before the advent of the artificial turf in 1976, but
the World Cup triumph of 1975 in Kuala Lumpur made the authorities turn a
blind eye to the reality that while the western countries progressed, India
remained stagnant.
The Olympic gold in the boycott-hit 1980 Moscow Olympic Games also came
as a false dawn and the deepening crisis manifested itself when India
finished with the wooden spoon by ending up 12th in the 1986 Willesden
World Cup.
Since then it has been one disaster followed by another and a litany of
excuses in the Olympics and World Cups barring the 1998 title triumph after
22 years at the Bangkok Asian Games which was spearheaded by the
mercurial Dhanraj Pillai.
A largely non-functional federation with the president and secretary clinging
to their posts even as the national team continued to plumb the depths was
poor advertisement for the game among the masses.
The final nail on the coffin came when the team failed to get past Britain and
clinch the lone Beijing Games qualifier's berth at the tournament in Chile in
early 2008.
The backlash and the sting operation that followed led to the ouster of IHF
president K P S Gill and secretary K Jothikumaran from the precincts of
hockey power and to the formation of an adhoc body to run the game by the
Indian Olympic Association.
Further pressure applied by a concerned International Hockey Federation
(FIH) with threats to take away the hosting rights of next year's World Cup
and bar the team's entry in international tournaments resulted in the launch
of a unified men's and women's body Hockey India.
All these are administrative happenings which will not cut much ice with the
public unless the team returns to its long-forgotten winning ways in the
hockey majors like Olympics, World Cups, Asian Games and Champions
Trophies.
2010 is a crucial year to chart the progress of the team with the March World
Cup to be followed by the October Commonwealth Games and the
subsequent Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
It's up to Brasa to whip the team into a win-hungry outfit that's capable of
taking on the best in the world.
CRICKET AND HOCKEY COMPARED–

The heading is ok. But the point is that why are we comparing a game like
Hockey with Cricket?
This is due to the fact that Cricket is undoubtedly India’s most popular sport
today. And we have to compare it with Hockey which is in such dire straits.
This is to reflect the inequality of the attention being given to various sports
in India. One set of sportspersons are earning millions while the others are
earning in thousands.

Cricket: India’s Only Sport

Cricket is truly is a religion in India. Lives are put on hold and priorities are
revised. Work hours are shortened, family functions are rescheduled and
study breaks are longer: all in the name of the ‘match’. Scores are recited
like the alphabet and players are worshiped like idols. The insanity has
reached such a level and created such a breed of fanatics that cricketers
themselves as well as their homes require guarded security.

It is indeed unfortunate that in a country as diverse as ours, a single sport

gains so much focus, while others are left to merge in the background. The
obsession can, to an extent, be blamed on the quintessential Indian
mentality: cricket is life, all else will follow. The commercialization of the
sport only adds to the madness. It has quite literally become a money-
making racket, with film stars and industrialist pumping money into what can
now safely be called the ‘cricket industry’. The bidding for players at the IPL
(Indian Premier League) further proves my point. Almost obnoxious sums of
money were being shelled out in order to bid for players. In fact, some of the
lowest bids at the IPL 2008 are the same figures at the funds at disposal to
certain other sports for a whole year!

Hockey, at least on paper, is said to be our national sport. Although it did

attain the pinnacle of glory during Dhyanchand’s time, one barely hears of
any laurels that the sport has achieved in the recent past. In fact, 8 of the 9
gold medals India has won at The Olympics have been in field hockey; all of
them before 1980.

The problem now lies not in the lack of talent, but in the simple fact that
there is a lack of a proper cultivation of the sport. Most, if not all funds, are
directed towards cricket with very little infrastructure left for the rest. People
refrain from taking up any other sport professionally simply because it is not
lucrative enough.

Apart from the financial aspects, we lack in the basic level encouragement of
any sport other than cricket. As Pullela Gopichand, All-England badminton
champion puts it, “A cricketer bags an Arjuna Award after playing for two
years. But it is not so, when it comes to a sportsman from another field. This
is not right.”

The government, politicians and authorities alike almost appear to condone

our near-dismal performance in other sports. When the cricket team
performs poorly, all hell breaks loose. As far as all other arenas are
concerned, we are so used to poor performances that we have gradually
become indifferent to them.
This doesn’t mean to say that we see no talent from any other sport. 2008
witnessed Abhinav Bindra win the Olympic gold medal for shooting and the
country won two medals for boxing as well. Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi
and Sania Mirza have all proved their mettle in tennis. But credit is due only
to their families, coaches and well-wishers, certainly not to any Indian sports
authority. The same is the case with chess player Vishwanathan Anand and
several other accomplished sportspersons in the country.

It is time the authorities and the public alike move on from their cricket-
mania and focus on catapulting other sports to the forefront as well. More
establishments providing infrastructure and encouragement are the need of
the hour. If we as a nation are proud of our respect for diversity, it is high
time we show it in this field too.

Why Just Cricket?

The two sports that have dominated the minds of Indians for more than a
century are Cricket and Hockey. Unfortunately, the success that cricket was
able to sustain in terms of popularity in the Indian sports scenario could not
be replicated by hockey. The reasons for this are two fold. One, the
achievements or victories that an Indian sports team garners in international
tournaments is a strong factor in keeping the sport alive. Cricket in this
context has it relatively easy as there are only a handful of nations that play
the game (mainly the British colonies). Thus the competition isn’t as severe
as other sports. Secondly, the physical stamina and capability required to
play cricket is also lesser than other sports. Both these factors have played a
major role in the popularity of cricket and the current crisis faced by the
national sport.

After the domination of field hockey by India in the Olympic Games (gold
medals from 1932 – 1956 and then in 1964 and 1980.), there were a large
number of changes in regulations, including the use of synthetic pitches,
which made the game more physical and thus immediately put the more
skilful Indians at a disadvantage. The high cost of artificial turf also helped in
ending the reign of Indian hockey. Hence these changes allowed physically
and financially stronger European teams like Australia, Netherlands and
Germany to challenge the superiority of the subcontinent. This drastically
reduced the number of wins in international tournaments leading to a fall in
popularity of hockey in India.

Indians now watch the one sport where they still have a good chance of
wining. Armed with a massive market of cricket enthusiasts, India now leads
the evolution of the game by its full fledged support for the new twenty-
twenty avatar. The fact that BCCI is financially stronger than the biggest
football clubs in the world is evidence enough of India’s importance in
keeping the sport economically viable.

Hockey might be the national game but cricket rules our minds and hearts.
Unfortunately, or shall we say thanks to the pathetic sports administrators,
there is a lack of level playing field for the two sports to compete for the
attention of viewers or sponsors. The imbalance can be guaged by the fact
that there is a sports channel dedicated to cricket, whereas most of the
viewers are not even aware of when or where the next Hockey tournament
of which India is a part will be held.
The cricketers deserved all the praise they got, they played superbly. And
initially the rewards too made sense, since most of them came from the
BCCI. But what started like a small party began to look a gaudy wedding of a
millionaire’s son/daughter…the likes of which we keep reading about in
newspapers every now and then. Chief Ministers of different states lost no
time in announcing huge rewards to the cricketers from their states with the
obvious intention of cashing in on the opportunity to gain attention. Even the
Telangana Rashtra Samiti announced rewards!
While the TRS can be excused–it most probably used its own black-money-
filled cauffers–what reason do the other parties in power have to spend the
tax payer’s money in this manner? I don’t think many people want to know
answers to these questions.
They are just too lost in the T20 euphoria and once this euphoria dies down,
they won’t worry about it anyway. At least the Hockey team has raised a
voice.

Sports in India have gained a special kiosk, especially, Cricket which is

commercialized for good and even for bad. If this is the sport which people
love the most, then, no harm in making it richer, as people enjoy and players
earn their purse strings but if game is turned to a market place of buyers and
sellers, then spectators have no role to play. They feel useless. IPL may have
attracted viewers seeking for entertainment but the passion which shows
when India-Pakistan match takes place, was missing. Its an outright three
hours of amusement minus the jingoism.
We have to maintain the pride of nationality in this sport, lets stride and
make it national in the real sense of the word. So, that we are proud to
address it with the title we do at present. This is only possible, if we enthuse
our souls with the ethics of sports. Be it Hockey or Cricket, its not time to
fight but to maintain the dignity of play and let them share their deserving
and recognized space. They are the sports of the same region.
These two field sports in India are at different levels altogether. One hitting
with bats and other dodging with sticks. One thriving on bed of roses and
other pricking thorns from it, failing to recognize it as a part of rose.

A Layman's Solutions to the revival of Indian Hockey

 It is indeed sad to see Indian Hockey ailing at the moment. For people who
have grown up on a stapled diet of Cricket, this dismal performance at the
Olympic qualifiers may not turn heads. But nevertheless hockey being our
national pride with a glorious past, this result would turn old timers even in
their grave. For the better part of Eight decades the country has fed off the
achievements on the Hockey field. From memory we can recall giants like
Dhyan Chand, Pargat Singh,Zafar Iqbal, Mohammed Shahid, Jude felix,
Mukesh kumar, Dhanraj pillay etc. Our last Olympic win came in Moscow in
1980 under the leadership of V. Bhaskaran. After 28 years we have for the
first time plunged to the depths of sorrow and despair.

In this hour of crisis, questions are being thrown in, opinions are warranted
and heads are asking to be guillotined and the proverb “Success has many
fathers, Failure is an orphan” holds true. People wanted the controversial IHF
president KPS Gill thrown out. Others have asked for a complete revamping.
Some wanted Team strategist Rick charles worth at the helm, others
suggested him out and some others wanted to know why he was not part of
the contingent at Chile. Already Joaquim carvalho the Hockey coach has quit.
Everyone has an opinion, but not many solutions. Shiv Kera the suave
management guru said “If you are not part of the solution, then you become
part of the problem”. What is the root cause of this disease that ails the
hockey system and how can we stem the rot. I feel the following five points
might make some sense to a few people,

1. For too many years the IHF has been running the sport like a typical
government organization with little transparency and virtually zero
accountability. We need a more professionally managed system. Take a cue
from the working lines of the BCCI. Some things are hard to digest but also
equally hard to ignore. Cricket has immensely benefited from
Professionalism, Suave marketing and advertising and plenty of money. Try
to hype the game without leaving any stone unturned or effort spared. We
need Business development managers like a Lalit Modi, the IPL boss and we
can certainly do away with autocrats like KPS Gill.

2. There is a lot of talent lying idle because they have been sidelined for
reasons best known to the administrators. Former players of the calibre of
Bhaskaran, Jude Felix, Mohammed Shahid, Mukesh kumar, Dhanraj pillay can
make a lot of difference. Their hairs may have gone grey but they still have
the passion and stomach for a fight and above all they still have plenty of
pride. Involve them on professional terms and respect their inputs in
motivation and strategy. Presently they are mute spectators hogging the
limelight only as critics. We need to turn them around into strategists and
coaches.
3. Scan the length and breadth of the country scouting for younger players
and nurture them without any regional bias and prejudice which is the
present order. When we can find Ishant sharma,RP singh, Joginder singh,
Praveen kumar, Munaf patel in a land alien to fast bowlers why can't we find
talent from a sport like hockey which is seeped in Indian tradition and
history. Search with a soul and you will find plenty.

4. Popularize the game. Easily said than done I guess. But find out from
countries like Australia or South Korea where there is a large following for
the game. We need to weed out people from the cricket centric citizens that
we have become. Again take a leaf out of the working methodologies of the
BCCI and try to build a synergy which could galvanize the sport with the
youth of this country. The role of the media in this regard has to be very
constructive.. All their efforts seem to be drawn towards concentrating on
promotion, publicity and coverage of cricket. When the Indian cricket team
won the Twenty20 tournament, they were awarded lavish bungalows, cash
prizes and treated like heroes. But does anyone even remember the amount
of coverage that was given to the hockey team at that time which one the
Asia cup? On the other hand, the media is quick to call our national sport a
shame. Cricket seems to be the only sport that everyone follows. So the
media needs to be responsible for everything they display on their channels.
The hockey federation in India should gain knowledge of marketing their
sport from the BCCI who have capitalized on the Twenty20 auctions and
even the ‘chak de’ theme. (Ironically, every sport seems to have benefitted
from it except for hockey on which it was actually based)

5. It is popular perception that foreign coaches can make a lot of difference.

At the same time we must respect our traditional style of play which has its
own flavor. But we also understand that the sub continental game has
thrived for long on individual brilliance and technique. Hassan sardar of
Pakistan, Mohammed shahid were masters of stick work. But we are yet to
work cohesively as a team which is the hallmark of teams like Germany and
Australia. Hence we need people at the helm who will ring in the changes
modern hockey requires without keeping the natural flavor out of the
equation.

For all the above mentioned changes to take any concrete shape, we as the
fans, critics and spectators should also take responsibility for this grave
situation and feel for our players and the game. We have to pledge ourselves
to improving viewer ship of the sport and support the game as a national
cause. There is lot of pride still left in Indian Hockey. We should be avid
philanthropists and patronize the game to help it overcome its present ills.
Let us at least ensure that Santiago will not repeat itself at any time in our
future. It is indeed heart breaking.