he National Informatics Centre (NIC) maintains the government website of each state in India. In the Punjab Government's website, in the Culture and History section, there is a special writeup on hockey. They have given short biographies of 4 superstars of Punjab hockey, excerpts of which we present below. The information contained is dated sometime during 1992, before the Barcelona Olympics.

Sansarpur village on the outskirts of Jalandhar is well-known for producing top hockey players for India. One whose stickwork dazzled and fascinated a legion of fans was Udham Singh. 

After Leslie Claudius, he was the only Indian player to have donned national colours in four successive Olympics. These were 1952 Helsinki (under K. D. Singh Babu), 1956 Melbourne (under Balbir Singh Sr.), 1960 Rome (under Leslie Claudius) and 1964 Tokyo (under Charanjit Singh).

Udham Singh was known to be a versatile forward. He could play at left-inside, right-inside, centre-forward or click at centre-half position too.

His hockey career spanned from 1949 to 1964. During this period, he led India thrice - first in 1953 when the Indian team went on a tour of Warsaw (Poland), second during India's East African and European tours in 1959, and for the last time in 1961 during the Australian and New Zealand tours.

Ajit Pal Singh was rightly acclaimed as "one of the best centre-halves in the world" during his time. He led India to a sensational victory in the 3rd World Cup hockey tournament at Kuala Lumpur in 1975.

Ajit Pal Singh showed such dexterity and skill at his position that he was included in the World Hockey XI teams of 1971, 72 and 73. He next represented India in the 1974 Asian Games at Teheran. Consequently, he was included in the Asian All-Star Hockey XI the same year.

But he reached the pinnacle of glory in 1975 when he led India to the third World Cup victory in Kuala Lumpur in the most trying circumstances. Punjab Government had borne all expenses prior to the participation by organising a camp for the team in Punjab. The whole country was in great jubilation. For the first time hockey seemed to get priority over cricket in the country.

Ajit Pal Singh shared one common trait with the late Surjit Singh. He always challenged the high-handedness of the IHF bosses who showed scant respect for the boys who toiled in the field for the country's honour. At present, he owns a Centre-Half filling station in Delhi.

Opinion may be divided among hockey fans as to who was the best deep defender between Prithipal Singh and Surjit Singh. However, no one can deny that both possessed extraordinary skill, sound tackling and fine recovery, besides unleashing thunderbolts from the heavy blades of their sticks.

Surjit Singh made his international debut in the second World Cup hockey tournament in Amsterdam in 1973. He was a member of the Indian team which won the third World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in 1975. He also participated in the 5th World Cup in 1982, the 1974 and 1978 Asian Games, and the 1976 Olympics, when Indian hockey nosedived.

Surjit Singh was acclaimed as one of the best full backs in the world. In 1973 he was included in the World Hockey XI. Next year he was a member of the Asian All-Star Hockey XI. Surjit Singh was also the top scorer in both the Esanda International hockey tournament at Perth in Australia and the 1978 Asian Games.

Surjt Singh had major differences with Indian Hockey Federation bosses over the raw deal given to hockey players. Like Bishan Singh Bedi in cricket, Surjit always upheld the player's cause. He was pained to find hockey players being treated like a 'herd of cattle'. Frustrated and disillusioned, Surjit Singh hung his stick during the prime of his career.

After his retirement from the game, Surjit Singh died in tragic circumstances in a road accident near Kartarpura in Jalandhar district, while arranging to organise his benefit tie at Jalandhar.

Attack is the best form of defence, they say, and Pargat Singh was an exponent of this art. He often carried the fight into the rival camp.

In the Champions Trophy at Perth in Australia, India were trailing 1-5 against Germany with just six minutes to go, On that particular day, India did not lose hope. One after another, India blasted three goals to make it 4-5. With only a few seconds to go, Pargat Singh collected the ball from his own half and ran down the field. Dribbling and dodging, he tore apart the German defence to score the tying goal.

Pargat Singh repeated the feat in the next Champions Trophy and gave India a 3-2 victory over Holland.

Pargat Singh is the Vice-President of the Surjit Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament Society.

he memories of India winning the 1975 World Cup remains etched in the mind of V. J. Philips. He, like the other members of the team, had tears in his eyes. "I thought the Indian tricolour would touch the skies that day."

The nation rejoiced after the World Cup triumph, and Philips recollects the traffic jam at the Marina Beach in Chennai as the team was taken around the city in an open motorcade.

Philips had played his part in the World Cup by knocking in seven goals. He created the match-winning strikes in both the semi-final and the final, where India overcame arch-rival Pakistan in a high voltage duel.

What has this fine player of yore got back from the country he so dearly loves? Nothing. Not even an Arjuna Puraskar. And despite assurances from the Government, he still lives in a rented house in Chennai.

"The only reward I ever received from the Government was Rs. 1,000 from Chief Minister Mr. M. Karunanidhi, soon after we won the World Cup in 1975. That was all. I did not have any godfather to take up my case." reveals Philips.

It makes one shudder. If Philips, a celebrated player in India's national game, can be treated like this, imagine the plight of lesser men. It's a national shame. We do not know how to recognise champions.

Philips is presently a Sports Officer with the Railways. He umpires hockey matches in Chennai. On Sundays, Philips spends time with young boys in St. Thomas Mount, teaching them the finer points of the game. It was here that Philips himself learnt the game as he grew up, before honing his dribbling skills under the eagle eyes of Udham Singh at NIS Patiala.

Philips comes from an era where money was very much secondary to the game. Philips wants to contribute more to Indian hockey. "Don't give me the senior team. But give me a junior or the sub-junior side and I will show the results. I always look forward to working with the junior players. They are our future."

As one gets up after the interview, Philips sports a warm smile that comes straight out of the heart. He's a proud, plain-speaking man who will not ask for anything. This doesn't mean the authorities concerned should ignore him. 

Let's learn to acknowledge our heroes.

Article Courtesy - S. Dinakar of The Hindu

he International Hockey Federation (FIH) released the draw for the men's and women's hockey tournaments at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The competition will be held from September 16-30 at the State Hockey Centre in Sydney Olympic Park.

India, which is in Pool B, has the following schedule:

Match	Date	Time
India vs. South Africa	Sun, Sep 17	10:30 am
India vs. Australia	Tue, Sep 19	8:30 pm
India vs. South Korea	Thu, Sep 21	8:30 am
India vs. Spain	Sat, Sep 23	3:30 pm
India vs. Poland	Tue, Sep 26	8:30 pm
Semi-Finals	Thu, Sep 28	2 pm, 8 pm
FINAL	Sat, Sep 30	8 pm

India is clubbed with Australia, Spain and South Korea, and would have to beat two of these three countries to make the semi-finals. In the past decade, India has losing records against all the above countries

Argentina is the first reserve team in case the South African hockey men's hockey team is not allowed by its National Olympic Committee to participate in the Sydney Olympics.

In the run up to Sydney, India would play around 15 to 20 matches, including tests against Malaysia, Egypt, and Argentina. The team for the Olympics is likely to announced by the second week of August, and will train in Brisbane at least 3 weeks before the Games.

he month-long training camp (May 18 - June 18) for the Sydney Olympics has begun at Bangalore - not at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) ground but at the local state hockey association ground. This is because the turf at SAI (South) is worn out and unfit for play.

The Indian team probables are staying at the clubhouse of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), whose charges for boarding/lodging are Rs. 650 per person per day.

The KSCA clubhouse has not received any payment as advance. "We have received an assurance from IHF chief K. P. S. Gill that the payment will be made," said a clubhouse official.

The KSCA should be aware that 'assurances' do not make for legal tender. The last time the hockey players stayed away from SAI (in September 1999), they ran up a boarding/lodging bill of Rs. 1.89 lakh. However, the hotel where the players stayed, Hotel Telehaus on K. H. Road, got only Rs. 50,000 in compensation.

Telehaus' rates were Rs. 500 per person per day, less than the cricket association's (KSCA) clubhouse rates of Rs. 650 per day. However, the SAI paid as per its camp norms of Rs. 168 per person per day.

Telehaus owner and hockey enthusiast Col. Fredrick D'Sa said, "I am disgusted at the way I have been treated. I have met all the top officials in the IHF. They have only made promises. But no payment has been made so far. To think that I had offered to house the hockey team for the love of the game." 

e have identified the enemy, and the enemy is within. That is the sorry fate of Indian hockey. The women's federation has shown that it is no less than the men's counterpart when it comes to victimising talented players.

The issue at hand was the non-participation of four senior players - Sita Gussain, Pritam Rani Siwach, Manjinder Kaur and Sandeep Kaur - in the Olympic qualifying tournament at Milton Keynes, England, in March. India finished last at the Qualifiers, and is out of the Sydney Olympics.

The Indian Women's Hockey Federation (IWHF) formed a three-member committee to look into the alleged boycott by the players. The committee comprised Mrs. Mriduala Sinha of Bihar as chairperson, Ramesh Nambiar of Air India and R. N. Chowdhury of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).

The committee met the four players individually and collectively. The committee members also gathered the views of several officials independently, and was in possession of the report of the chief coach Bhangu to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The committee's recommendations were as follows:

• 1-year suspension for the 4 players
• Dismissal of coach Bhangu and manager Ms. Rupa Saini
• Critical remarks on the working of IWHF and RSPB

The four dismissed players include 3 former India captains, one Arjuna Puraskar winner, and the lone representative from Asia in the FIH World XI team of 1999.

Sports officials in India are all of the same breed - from the gutter. The short-sighted hockey officials who conspired to keep the Asiad Six out of Indian hockey, are now ganging up on their women counterparts to banish them into the wilderness.

In either case, it is Indian hockey that suffers.

he 11-nation 4th Junior Asia Cup was held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, from May 3 - May 14.

South Korea upset fancied India 3-2 in the final to win the Junior Asia Cup. Malaysia finished third when they edged Japan 2-1. Only the top 3 teams qualified for next year's Junior World Cup. Match reports of the 4th Junior Asia Cup (men) can be found here. 

India thus continued its losing streak of never having won any Asia Cup title - whether senior or junior, men's or women's. In contrast, Asian hockey powerhouse Korea currently holds all 4 titles at stake in the Asia Cup. 

7 Indian players made it to the Junior Asia Cup All-Star team - forwards Deepak Thakur, Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh, midfielders Bipin Fernandez and Arjun Halappa, and backs Lazarus Barla and Len Ayyappa.

China's Song Yi emerged as the tournament's top scorer with 21 goals. Korea's in-form goalkeeper Lee Myung-Ho was selected as the Player of the Final. 15-year old Prabodh Tirkey of India was given a special prize as the Most Promising Player of the tournament.

The Indian junior team, the nucleus of which was formed in 1998 under C. R. Kumar, has not won any of the tournaments it has participated in. It came 2nd in the 8-nation Junior Challenge in Poznan (August 1999), 3rd in the 4-nation tournament in Cairo (February 2000) and now 2nd in the Junior Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

It was a disastrous Junior Asia Cup for Pakistan, who had won the 3 previous editions. Pakistan could not even reach the semi-finals of the event, as they lost on consecutive days to Korea and Malaysia. Barring some backdoor politicking, Pakistan has, for the first time ever, failed to qualify for Junior World Cup.

In parallel, the 8-nation 3rd Junior Women's Asia Cup was also held from May 6 - May 13 at Kuala Lumpur. India came third in the tournament, beating Japan 3-1. Favourites South Korea won their 3rd consecutive Junior Asia Cup title, defeating China in the final. Korea had won the earlier two editions held in 1992 and 1996. 

Mamata Kharab was voted the Player of the Tournament. She was the top scorer of the tournament with 9 goals, a feat she shared with Numao Mie of Japan.

Match reports of the 3rd Junior Asia Cup (women) can be found here.

Hans Raj Mahajan and Sons, Jalandhar

ans Raj Mahajan and Sons (HRM), established in 1925, is India's oldest sports goods company. HRM was the official and exclusive supplier to the Indian contingent for six consecutive Olympics Games between 1960 and 1980. The Indian teams for the Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964), Mexico City (1968), Munich (1972), Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980) Olympics were kitted and equipped by HRM.

Based in Jalandhar, Punjab, HRM is presently exporting to more than 35 different countries in all the six continents. Their product range includes sports equipment & accessories for boxing, cricket, football, hockey and other sports. Their clients include Dita, Dunlop, Slazenger, Wembley Stadium and the well known Manchester United football club.

HRM has 2 manufacturing units in an area of 75,000 square feet, with complete in-house facilities for designing, R&D and product testing (refer photograph above). Their website URL is http://www.hans-raj.com. They can be reached via email at query@hans-raj.com.

Hans Raj Mahajan and Sons is a member of The Sports Goods Federation of India (SGFI).

The Australian Institute of Sport, Perth

he bi-weekly columns of former coach Cedric D'Souza for Rediff are worth reading. Cedric's latest article was based on his visit to Australia, where he met with present Australian national coaches Terry Walsh and Ric Charlesworth, as well former national coaches Frank Murray and Richard Aggiss.

In the article, entitled Lessons Down Under, Cedric has the following observations on the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS), Perth.

The AIS has 8 regional Intensive Training Centers (ITC) around Australia. Each of the ITCs have 36 players - 20 play in the national league, with 16 additional players waiting in readiness. The players are in the age groups of 14 to 20.

All the centers have a uniform coaching format developed by the national coach, with the regional coaches given some flexibility to be creative and improvise. The regional coaches spot talent and recommend to the AIS in Perth. Once selected, the trainees get paid, specialized training, subsidized by government funding (currently a stipend of $5000, based on Australia's 4th place finish in the Utrecht World Cup).

The astroturf pitches at Perth (home of the 2002 Women's World Cup) are booked throughout the day, with at least six different levels of sport - grassroots development, juniors, seniors, clubs, national and veterans. For Cedric, the lesson to be learnt was that by raising their domestic levels, Australia has been able to establish themselves on the international stage.

What do the Australian coaches think of the Indian system? They felt that our coaching standards are pathetic, our administration is way behind the rest of the world and there's too much politics in the selection of teams.

Without any structure in place and a reluctance to change with the times, they felt it will always be an uphill task for India. They could not believe that coaches in India are not paid and do not have a signed contract. They felt that India needed to get fitter both mentally and physically, tighten up in defense, and get more tactical in their overall approach to the game.

As Cedric says in his closing remarks:

"A great amount of thought has gone into structuring the sport in Australia. We must take a leaf out of that book. I do not say that we blindly copy what they have, but at least we can steal some points from them and form a base. It will provide India a system it so desperately needs, and make uniformity the order of the day. This done, I am convinced, Indian hockey will once again steal the thunder.

ormer India captain Dhanraj Pillai took a break from the German Bundesliga to join the Indian hockey camp at Bangalore. After the first leg of the training camp (May 18 - June 18), Dhanraj will return to Germany to play for his club Stuttgart Kickers. The club is scheduled to tour Switzerland for a tournament next month.

Dhanraj will return to India for the second leg of the training camp (July 15 - September 1), and join the German club again in October after the Sydney Olympics.

"It was a very good experience," the captain of the Asian Games gold medal winning team said of his stint in Germany. "The clubs whom we played against had a few national team players. I played against German captain Christian Mayerhoffer, forward Oliver Domke and goalkeeper Nils."

Dhanraj was also exposed to some effective training techniques. The method of preparation prior to every match, which included video sessions on each rival player, as well as the approach towards the game, was very educative said the star forward.

Stuttgart Kickers were placed fourth in the league, the intensity of the competition making their chances of a better placing difficult said the former Indian captain.

It is to be hoped that after Sydney, many more Indian Olympians get to play in the financially and professionally rewarding hockey leagues of Europe.

Photo Courtesy - The Hindu

he 6th Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup took place at the Mahindra stadium in Mumbai from April 27 to May 5.

Teams that took part in this All India tournament were local favourites Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Air India (AI), a junior team BHA Colts, and outstation teams like Indian Airlines (IA) from Delhi and Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC) from Ramgarh.

The organizers decided not to invite Punjab Police due to their tantrums, both on and off the field. That left only one team from Punjab in the tournament - a new look Border Security Force (BSF) team that featured more players from the the tribal belt of Orissa and Bihar than from its traditional stronghold of Punjab.

The match results were as follows:

Stage	Date	BSF	BPCL
Quarter-Finals	May 2	beat BHA Colts 1-0	beat SRC 1-0
Semi-Finals	May 3	beat IA XI 2-1
	May 4		beat AI 8-7 (tie-breaker)
FINAL	May 5	beat BPCL 2-0

In the final, Merinus Lakra put BSF ahead 1-0 six minutes before the break, and then Shinu Herenz clinched the final with a rasping shot five minutes from time.

The winners received a cash award of Rs. 40,000, while BPCL picked up Rs. 20,000. The Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai Award of Rs 5,000 and a silver trophy for the Player of the Tournament was bagged by BPCL and junior India goalkeeper P. A. Bopanna.

he inaugural Afro-Asian Games will be held from November 3 - November 11, 2001, in New Delhi. The athletes from the two continents will be competing in a total of 8 disciplines - athletics, boxing, football, hockey, shooting, swimming, tennis and weightlifting. Hockey would be represented by both men's and women's competitions. All athletes (and officials) will be given free air travel, lodging and boarding facilities during the Afro-Asian Games.

This was announced by the Afro-Asian Games Council (AAGC) and Indian Olympic Committee secretary general Randhir Singh at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Rio de Janeiro on May 23. The AAGC meeting was also attended by IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch and union sports minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

The Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Afro-Asian Games will be the 4 IOC sanctioned events that the Indian hockey team would be participating in, every 4 years.