Ex-hockey star struggling against odds!

While watching his maternal uncle and hockey wizard Kunwar Digvijay Singh 'Babu' in action, Mahendra Singh always wanted to play for the country in same position. But he wasn't aware that he would be struggling even for a small sum of Rs 2000 in future.

The veterans of three nationals in 70's, former hockey star of Uttar Pradesh Mahendra Singh now days has become a 'shuttlecock' to get his Rs 2000 p.m. pension from the Mayawati-led State Government, which made a lot of promises for the former and present sportspersons of the State after assuming the power.

Before playing his first nationals at Hyderabad in 1963, the former right-in Singh let his stick do the talking against Afghanistan (1958), Holland (1959) and Germany (1962) in hockey series, and thereafter he had impressive run in all three nationals Hyderabad (1963), Chennai (1964) and Pune (1965).

"I had no idea that after putting everything of mine for the game, I would be struggling for my survival too," says Mahendra Singh, who now has developed some problem in his ears.

"I used to play with my uncle (KD Singh) and I was determined to become a great hockey player like him," says Singh, who is now a farmer. After being rated as 'state player' the State Government through its Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate sanctioned him a sum of Rs 2000 as monthly pension in November last year, and the orders regarding the regular payment was sent to Sitapur's sports officer.

But, since then Singh is struggling for the payment of his first pension. "On January 30 too, I was told by the clerk that come next time as he was busy and this was for the 10th time when he told me like this," says Singh. "No body in the Sitapur sports office is ready to hear my problem. I know that the clerk wants some share in my pension, but I am ready to do it," adds Singh.