03 January,2009 10:35 AM IST | | Sudheendra Tripathi
India players celebrate their 7-2 win over Korea in the Asia Cupu00a0 in Chennai in September 2007.
NO WAY, say the sport's former greats after Pataudi's call to make cricket the national sport
CALLS to replace hockey as the national sport are not new. But the country's hockey fraternity was up in arms when this thought was mooted yet again by former India cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi yesterday.
"Hockey is and will remain the national sport. Period," four-time Olympian Dhanraj Pillay thundered. The mercurial forward admitted that the sport hasn't done so well in recent times, but stressed that hockey was the only sport which has given India multiple gold medals and World Cup triumphs. "Hockey's glorious past cannot be erased, can it?" he asked.u00a0
Indian hockey was badly crippled after failing to qualify for the first time in eight decades for the Beijing edition of the Olympic Games last year.
After a sting operation, Secretary General of the Indian Hockey Federation, K Jyothikumaran was forced to step down and soon the Indian Olympic Association suspended the IHF.
When the sports budget was announced, hockey was relegated from the list of priority sports. But Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, M S Gill later restored hockey back to the top of priority sports.
And with some success coming India juniors' way in the recent Test matches, Indian hockey, it seemed, was looking to work its way back up the ladder. Obviously, the fraternity was not willing to take Pataudi's sentiments sportingly.
"Agreed, the Olympic debacle has dented the image of the sport in more ways than one," Olympian Merwyn Fernandes said.
Fernandes admitted the national sport was in a way crippled by the impact of that damage.u00a0 But he insisted that India has had an illustrious past.u00a0
"The numerous World Cup triumphs and Olympic gold medals are testimony to the success we have enjoyed at the highest level. Hockey needs support... from all quarters.
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Downgrading hockey is not a solution. Efforts should be made for hockey to regain its past glory.u00a0 For me, it is definitely the national sport," Fernandes added.
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Mir Ranjan Negi, who is known to be calm and composed, fumed: "It is a nonsensical thought," he fumed.
"National flag, national bird, national song cannot and should not be changed. Ditto the national sport.
"Fine, we were unable to qualify for the Olympics and circumstances caused hockey to witness an all-time low.
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But that doesn't mean hockey should be replaced with cricket as the national sport. Every sportsman has a bad patch. Similarly, hockey is going through rough times.
Instead of making efforts to restore the past glory, we are suggesting that hockey should be put on the backburner? No. It's not done.
Hockey is and should remain the national sport. Cricket is not even recognised by the International Olympic Association. I think it is an absurd idea," Negi said.u00a0
Viren Rasquinha, who is pursuing an MBA degree at the prestigious Indian Business School in Hyderabad is certain that hockey cannot be replaced as the national sport but is of the opinion that it is high time we regroup and find ways to resurrect the national sport.
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"The administrators, players and everyone involved with the sport, should sit back, think and make efforts to justify the fact that hockey is our national sport. Personally speaking, we should stop bragging about our past.
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It is time we indulge in something constructive to revive the lost glory of this beautiful sport," he told MiD DAY from Hyderabad.
Hockey or cricket? The debate will go on thanks to a certain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi!
