CHENNAI: Punjab is to Indian hockey what Manipur is to Indian football and what Mumbai used to be to Indian cricket. There is hardly a national team without many from the northern state. At the recent Asian Games, 10 of the 18 members in the men’s team were from Punjab. The state team claimed the senior men’s national championship in March, followed by the juniors winning the national title in May.
What keeps them going? Among other factors, it is the introduction to hockey at a young age. “By default, hockey is in everyone’s blood back home,” says Satbir Singh, who is leading Punjab in the 92nd All India MCC Murugappa Gold Cup.
“There is craze for hockey, especially in Jalandhar. People don’t see this as any other sport. It’s the sport. They start training at a tender age. There are many tournaments throughout the year at the district level, starting from under-12 to seniors. So when they are 17-18, they are good enough to break into the national camp,” said the midfielder, whose last appearance for India was in a four-nation meet in January where he suffered a knee injury.
Punjab’s love for hockey can be traced back to the 1920s and 30s. Gurmit Singh Kullar, who turned out at the 1932 Olympics, was one of the torch-bearers. Since then, Punjab has churned out numerous Olympians.
This continuous supply can be attributed to their fitness. Satbir believes that because of the early start, their match and fitness-related awareness reaches a high level. “Fifteen-twenty years back the style of play was different. Now, we have fast-paced hockey. When you start playing more matches, you realise that the next step is better fitness. At academies, we have activities like running, swimming and going to the gym. Fitness has always been an important part of our lives.”
Contrary to views that sport affects studies, the 25-year-old reveals that Punjab is a state where parents encourage kids to prefer hockey over academics. This, he says, is not the practice in
other places.
“Parents are supportive when it comes to hockey. Since we have strong roots, people understand the benefits of playing hockey. I started playing when I was 10. I was not good at academics. When I was in Class 6, my father said ‘go play hockey, you don’t have to study’. There are players from middle-class families in our team. Their parents never stopped them from pursuing
the game.”
Results: Indian Railways 5-1 Mumbai HA; ONGC 3-3 Central Secretariat; Chennai Hockey Association 1-1 Punjab & Sind Bank; Indian Oil Corporation 7-4 Bengaluru HA.
srinidhi@newindianexpress.com