I remember as a High School student watching the
1982 Asian Games on the community TV in our neighbourhood, it was the first sports
extravaganza that I remember inspiring me and our entire generation. The loss
in the Hockey final notwithstanding, I still got hooked to the stick sport.
Though the folklore of Dhyan Chand and Olympic Gold
Medals were irresistible, another Hockey Gold at the Olympics was not what I
was looking forward for India to win, it was an Asian Games Gold defeating
Pakistan that mattered most now.
A year later everything changed, India won the Cricket
World Cup and as they say, the rest is history. In the next 3 decades since
then, Cricket swept away all other sports into... well, almost oblivion.
In secondary school in 1986, there was fond hope of
revival of Indian Hockey at the Asian Games, after thrashing all in the Group
stage India met its nemesis in Pakistan again, that day I cried but told myself
never to cry again for Indian Hockey.
Three years later a certain Sachin Tendulkar came
on the Cricket stage and over the next two and half decades ruled the sport and
the hearts of Indians slowly but surely erasing the bad memories of Hockey.
A dozen years later India won the Asiad Gold, but that
was also the year when Tendulkar was at his mesmerising best ‘causing
nightmares’ to the best of opponent bowlers. The Hockey win that year was made
not so memorable by the Indian Hockey Federation sacking the coach and a few
stars of the Gold winning team, not very impressive or inspiring for the
youngsters to take up the sport for glory.
Years passed and Indian Hockey fortunes fluctuated reaching
the peaks and nadirs consistently.
While Cricket took precedence, I continued to
follow Hockey silently hoping to see better days. The last two years had been
really pathetic, almost all hope seemed lost.
The expectation of India winning the Gold in the Incheon
Asian Games wasn’t too high. As the tournament progressed and having defeated
the host in the Semi-Final all hope returned. Harrowing memories of loss to
arch rival started playing in the mind as India trailed 0-1 in the 1st
quarter of the Final.
While the game entered the final Penalty phase, I sat in silence glued
to the TV – praying! As the entire nation erupted at the heroic moment from
goalkeeper Sreejesh, I shed a tear. Yes, this was different, it had to happen
at the Asian Games, against Pakistan, in the Final and it did.
----- Dedicated to all my classmates and friends at Kendriya Vidyalaya, who went through similar emotions -------
