Phir dil diya hockey ko.

I had been watching the commercials.
With Viru and Rathore and Priyanka Chopra.
And, I liked the idea.

Phir dil do hockey ko.
There is an air of honesty to it.

I know how easy it would have been
to do a ‘jeetenge ya marenge’ or
‘duniya ko dikha denge’ or
‘hockey phir hamari’ or
‘chak de India’ campaign.
(I can almost smell the jingle.)

But someone had a better approach.
Whoever it was, thanks.

But in spite of the commercials,
in spite of Sunil Shetty’s Bollywood-ish appeal,
I doubt if hockey will ever catch on, again.

[For the ones who came in late,
Sunil Shetty, out of the goodness of his larger-than-life chest,
appealed that there was only one trick to save Indian hockey.
Rahul Gandhi had to step in!

Hmm… I can picture it.
Shot 1: Rahul Gandhi drives in, in a white Ambassador.
Shot 2: You see his sneaker clad shoe as he steps out.
Shot 3: He walks into a conference room filled with
fat ex-players, federation officials and assorted mavens.
Shot 4: He pulls off his sneakers and plonks them
on the conference table.
Shot 5: Mavens look at officials look at fat ex-players.
Shot 6: 6 minute monologue by Rahul Beta that begins thus:
“Main neta hoon, Kolhapuri chappal pehenta hoon, size 8.
Lekin aaj maine apna size 8 Kolhapuri jala diya. Aur yeh joote pehen liye.
Aur yeh joote main tab hi utaroonga jab
India phir hockey param koti par pahoonchega. Tab tak….”
Shot 7: After the 6 minute monologue, Indian hockey is on its way
to the top and ex-players, officials and mavens are singing ‘chak de’.]

Sorry, couldn’t resist the digression.
But Indian hockey is in the abyss and it will take more
than the well-intentioned Sunil Shettys of the world to pull it out.

1. People, need to watch hockey.
2. Kids need to play hockey.
3. We need more Astroturf.
4. We need to eat beef.

Look, the game has changed.
Dutch kids play hockey on Astroturf.
The few foolish kids here, who still play hockey,
play on the little stony, unpredictable patches.

They develop, not the skills needed for power hockey.
But Rapid Eye Movement and knowledge of the Uncertainty Principle.
[Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: If you determine an object's position with uncertainty x, there must be an uncertainty in momentum, p, such that xp > h/4pi, where h is Planck's constant.]

This, no give World Cup.
This give bruised elbows, bruised knees.

But then, but then.
Why worry about World Cups?
Can’t we just enjoy the game?

Which is what I did this Sunday.
I sat back and watched hockey.
Watched hockey after a long, long time.

In the many years that have passed,
from the 6 years I spent 2-3 hours a day,
6 days a week wielding a stick on rocky, stony grounds,
much has changed.

1. My knees and elbows have healed.
2. You don’t hear any off-side whistles.
3. The feints have changed.
4. The sticks have changed.
5. The corners have a better understanding of projectile motion.

In the stands, I could not spot a single person.
Who could possibly have had Zafar Iqbal and Mohammed Shahid posters.
Who would know a Jagbir Singh or a Jude Felix.
Who would have tried, time and again unsuccessfully,
Pargat Singh’s dash from outside his D into the opposition’s.

But the thonk of ball hitting back of board,
is still the same.
The exultation, still the same.
And so, the despair.

It felt good, to see the Prabhjots, Rajpals and Chandis
run rings around the Pakistanis.
And Mahadik display some really inspired moves
from the midfield.
Thank you, Brasa.

I felt old.
And I was watching a new game.
But maybe that’s our salvation.
The young people in the stadium will adopt what they see.
And a new generation of Indian hockey will take root.

After many long years, I cheered for Indian hockey.
And I will do it again, tonight.

We might not win the World Cup.
Hockey, might again go back into the basement.
But for a few evenings, I will be able to live through
the many evenings of my youth.

Phir dil diya.
Phir dil chillaya, muskuraya, roya.