THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Memories came pouring down on them along with the drizzle that showered outside. When members of the Kerala hockey team which won the 1972 National Junior Women’s Hockey Championship held in Pune came together at SP Grand Days hotel on Sunday, it turned out to be an occasion for mixed emotions.
For the teachers, the transformation of their students was incredible. ‘‘I still remember my cute lovely girls who made us proud in 1972. Now, I can’t believe that my children have turned old. Some of them have put on weight. I can’t even identify who is who,’’ said Pankajakshy, who had been a teacher at Cotton Hill School.
The smiles that lit up their faces paled for a while as they remembered their coach T P Balakrishnan. ‘‘He was not just our coach. It was he who taught us the game. He was like a father to us, training and guiding us. When he was around, we always felt we could win anything,’’ said G Sudha, who was the captain of the champion team.
Destiny has made many of them tread a path too far from the hockey turf. But the cheer of the crowd and the shrill sound of the whistle continue to ring in their ears. ‘‘We remember how Keralites in Pune cheered us when we played there. We were a bit scared of our opponents. All of them were tall and stout. But Balakrishnan sir egged us on. We never thought we could win the trophy. Once we caught a winning streak we were confident,’’ recollected Omanakumari. Omanakumary is a Arjuna award winner and was a member of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the 1982 Asian Games.
The excitement was very much visible on her face as Sudha relived the moment of victory. ‘‘We won the match by 1-0 against Pepsu, a Punjab-based team. Till then we had never been able to beat them in finals. When Rachel scored for us with just two minutes for the final whistle, we knew that we had a real chance. It was our first national trophy.’’
For some, it was also a moment to rebuild the bond they once used to share. ‘‘We used to travel a lot for the tourneys. Train journeys those days were really tiring. But we never felt tired because we were always together,’’ said P R Sarada.
The reunion was inaugurated by former Minister Babu Divakaran.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com