New Delhi: When they touch rank bottom, nobody remembers them. And when they attain the heights nobody thought they could, still nobody remembers them.
That is Indian hockey for you. Win or lose—they always get the rough end of the stick. Whether they win a final 7-2 or lose it 2-7, does not seem to make any difference—for good, or for bad.
Remember the en block sacking of players after winning the 1998 Asiad? Imagine somebody doing that to the cream of Indian batting even after losing a top tournament. Nobody is there to bat for the torchbearers of a sport—still called the Indian national game.
The proposed hunger strike of some players and their coach, the proud winners of the Asia Cup, at the step-motherly treatment compared to cricketers is Gandhigiri in action. It is a shame that they have to demand their dues in such a fashion.
The victorious captain of 1983 squad, Kapil Dev is still feted and called to various studios raking in millions. People even remember the name of Sunil Walson who did not get to play a single match in the 1983 World Cup and still made a fortune thanks to his presence on the sidelines. It will be interesting to know how many of the 1975 Hockey World Cup winning squad feature regularly on talk shows. If they are invited, they are expected to talk without remuneration, or with token compensation, most of the times.
Nine out of 10 Indians past 40 can name each and every member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad. In contrast, how many remember the names of the players who were the part the 1975 hockey World Cup squad? The memory chips of our brains associated with hockey have got infected beyond repair.
The lives of the families of Olympians, who excelled between 1928 to 1956 winning six successive Olympic gold medals should make an interesting reading. One can bet that most of them will be regretting that their fathers and grandfathers sacrificed lives for a sport, which gave little or no return.
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An average cricketer who has played a few Tests and ODIs gets pension, lucrative coaching and commentary assignments, and sometimes even land for academies. And an average hockey player! How many of them will get out-of-turn promotions after winning a major tournament? Few pats on the back, yes, but big monetary rewards and promotion, no.
India lose shamefully in a World Cup but beat Bangladesh and the world champions are back. Sachin is again the master blaster regularly featuring on the precious print. Here the Indian hockey team mauls a formidable Korean side not once but twice, including a 7-2 thrashing, and just a few empty words of praise!
Make no mistake. Since the 80s, the Indian hockey is always playing away series, even on their home turf. Reason is that most Indian hockey players get to play on Astroturf rather late in their lives and switching from grass to turf is just like graduating from Chepauk to Perth. Still they have adjusted well and given some memorable performances. Treating them like dirt is nothing but insulting that memory.
Chak De India, the theme song for hockey's revival is being played ad nauseam with a millionth repetition of the Cricket World Cup winning shot on scores of channels. There could not be a bigger irony in this. What about Chak de Hockey?
Of course, that will not provide some great photo ops to the politicians. But giving the forgotten heroes their due will not make the nation any poorer.
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