Nothing succeeds like success and the winning statement has a magical influence. The ecstasy that helmed the country with Indian Men’s Hockey team victory has not been just about the podium finish. The colour of the metal is incidental since it wasn’t about wining laurels. But by making a mark India has inched closer towards reclaiming its pristine glory. The win has rekindled new hope and strengthened their resolve. It shattered the burden of failures and bestowed new spirit and enthusiasm.
Clearly, at a time, when the nation is finding reasons
to be distraught and worried, the Olympics has rightly forced the sports buffs
and enthusiasts to find a reason to revel and celebrate the perseverance, grit
and determination of ordinary Indians. With their winning habits, the new genre
of sports icons is emerging as symbols of hope and inspiration. Undeterred by
hardships, financial constraints and dire poverty, raising from humble origins the
new breed of Indian sport stars are re-writing rules of success and scripting
history.
Marching ahead with the mantra of self-belief, the
gritty new champions of are now a source of inspiration for the aspirational
Indians who are looking for contemporary heroes. These sports icons with their
stupendous feats are changing the definition of heroes, who are usually
portrayed as people with super natural powers. These ordinary Indians, often
next-door neighbours hailing from non-descript locales reaching scaling the
highest peaks with their hard working are now the embodiments of success.
Demography is India’s real asset. Stories of
collective achievement will go a long way in inculcating a positive spirit. The
multiplier effect of this positive influence will prompt youngsters to dream
big and make conscious efforts to achieve them. These real time triumphs,
breaking of barriers and creating new landmarks will essentially drive teeming
younger generation into action.
The extraordinary achievements of ordinary men and
women go a long way in inspiring the nation of over billion people. It is in
this context, a podium finish by the Indian Hockey team will forever will
reckoned as stupendous achievement.
The team efforts especially have a special way of
binding people and celebrating the power of working together as a collective
unit. Reckoned as a chaotic society and dominated by disparate voices,
identities India always had more reasons to be divided than to build on their
commonalities.
Crumbling under pressure, for ages Indian sportsperson
despite their hard work failed to make it to the finish line. The drag of
wavering self-belief has hindered their capacities to unleash their full
potential.
Hockey bronze has broken that trail of disappointments
and infused a new confidence. Similar to the Indian Cricket’s 2011 World Cup
water shed movement which rejuvenated the spirits of youngsters and ushered
them into winning ways, the Olympic podium finish would suffuse hockey players.
Hockey has been integral to Indian lives. It has
special significance in India’s sports arena. Replete of ups and downs, the
Indian Hockey history is truly inspiring story. Worth contemplating and
emulating the lessons.
With an unparalleled record of wining eight gold
medals in Hockey and scoring the most number of goals in Olympics, the Indian
team struggled for over four decades to win a medal. India’s bronze at Tokyo is
their third medal. Being pioneers of field hockey, India lost the inherent
advantage of excelling in this sport which has been a way of live for people
with the introduction of Astroturf surfaces. India struggled to play the game
on the hard surface. European countries prevailed and turned around the contour
of the field hockey by introducing hard surface, where technique had little
role to play but benefitted the brute force and stamina.
Accustomed to a dribbling game on grass surfaces
Indian players experienced difficulties in displaying technique and skill on
hard surfaces due to setting in of fatigue and physical exhaustion. Nearly all
the major tournaments are held on hard surfaces. This has really hurt the
fortunes of Indian hockey.
Poor resource allocation to sports in general, lack of
the sophisticated training facilities and Astro turf surfaces in general
plagued the game. From failing to qualify in 2008 Beijing Olympics to making it
to a podium finish in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Indian Hockey witnessed a major
turnaround.
In 2018, when Sahara backed out from sponsoring both
Men’s and Women’s hockey, for the first time a state government, Odisha signed
a Rs 100 Crore deal with Hockey India for next five years. Besides building the
needing infrastructure, hosting the Men’s Hockey World Championships and
sponsoring Kalinga Lancers, the state has turned into cradle of hockey,
grooming the next generation of players.
Overcoming the stumbling blocks of poor training
facilities, insufficient government, nepotism and corruption, current
generation of Indian sportsperson are wining World championships and other
international tournaments announcing their arrival on the World stage.
Fervently praying for the victory of Indian Women’s
Hockey team in the Bronze Medal match, here is my tribute to the new tribe of
achievers…
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