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.

Pillay Unplugged

Former Hockey ace Dhanraj Pillay doesn't seem ready to accept that Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) would allow legendary Aussie forward Richard Charlesworth enough space to do his best for the uplift of the team's performance at the international level.

The ace forward Pillay, while praising the qualities of Charlesworth as technical advisor to Indian hockey team, feels that politics 'involved' in the IHF won't give Charlesworth a free hand to do his best.

"He is a legend, who has contributed immensely to world hockey, and don't think that IHF is ready to accept such a man, who can become a problem for them in future with his good working," Pillay said just before playing in an exhibition match in memory of ex-Olympian Vivek Singh in Varanasi early this week.

"In IHF no body is allowed to work freely and that's why senior players were always neglected. And if the IHF continues to behave like this with Ric too, there association will come to an end immediately." He also expressed his anger on IHF for ignoring him for the just concluded Premier Hockey League. "Denying me a chance to play hockey in the PHL was a crime committed by the IHF, and this proved that how IHF is working on whims and fancies of some opportunist people."

Lack of Interest

IT SEEMS that the younger generation of Lucknow lacks love for the national game hockey. This was very much evident in the 19^th Balrampur Chini All-India KD Singh ‘Babu’ Sub-Junior Hockey Tournament, which Uttar Pradesh won for the seventh successive time on Saturday.

Out of 16-member team of the State, no one was from Lucknow, which still holds the pride for producing great hockey players in the past, including Major Dhyan Chand and Kunwar Digvijay Singh 'Babu'.

"Now, every young player try his luck in cricket and that's the reason why hockey is being neglected in the heartland of the game also," said ex-hockey coach of Sports College Pandit Ram Autar Mishra.

"I find hockey much costly than the cricket. If you have a bat and ball you can play cricket throughout the day, but in hockey everyone requires a hockey stick to play," he said, adding, "Moreover, the parents do encourage their wards only for the games like cricket, tennis, badminton etc."

"Undoubtedly, the interest for the game is lacking very much among the younger generation. But we all have to come forward to regenerate the interest of them in the game."

A positive turn? Or a passing phase?

Thanks to Joaquim Carvalho's timely outburst against 'discrimination', many organisations and the centre have woken up to acknowledge the Asia Cup hockey win.

Film star MP Raj Babbar is going to felicitate the players in Agra on on October 31. The team will then travel to New Delhi to meet the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 1. Then, they will be felicitated by the Bombay Hockey Association two days later. Then, they will be honoured by the State Bank of India and be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5 Lac each.

Celebrating the hockey team's achievement is a welcome move. But they must soon get down to business — the Olympic qualifiers in March.

Counterpoint
Every once in a while, there are murmurs and reminders that hockey is India's national sport — an honour bestowed for the sole reason that, when a young, independent India had to pick something for sporting glory, hockey was the only game visible. Since then, except for the occasional upset victory, the national sport has been slipping in the national consciousness.

The question is: would even a world title in the sport spark off the kind of craze that the T20 title did in India? Or have things gone beyond salvage?