Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article /
India, or Rs 35 lakh?
Updated On: 11 December, 2011 12:52 AM IST | | Ashwin Ferro
It's a quandary no sportsperson should ever find himself in. India striker and Asian Champions Trophy hero Yuvraj Valmiki, who shares a 10x10 shanty with his family, can make Rs 35 lakh by playing in the World Series Hockey tournament at the risk of forfeiting his India jersey. Caught between the needs of an impoverished family and the threat of losing his place in the national team, the striker is in a situation that reflects the sad state of Indian hockey
Listen to this article :
It's a quandary no sportsperson should ever find himself in. India striker and Asian Champions Trophy hero Yuvraj Valmiki, who shares a 10x10 shanty with his family, can make Rs 35 lakh by playing in the World Series Hockey tournament at the risk of forfeiting his India jersey. Caught between the needs of an impoverished family and the threat of losing his place in the national team, the striker is in a situation that reflects the sad state of Indian hockey
At 21, while most others his age would be faced with the conundrum of career choices following a degree college certification, India's hockey hero Yuvraj Valmiki is faced with a unique, and possibly career-shattering challenge. He has to make the uncomfortable pick between money and the India jersey.
Yuvraj Valmiki
While most would consider country a sure-shot pick, Valmiki's case is unique.
Having lived his life with his family in a 10x10 shanty in Marine Lines, without even the bare necessities of electricity, drinking water and a bathroom, Valmiki is faced with earning, by his own admission, "as much as Rs 35 lakh" if he plies his trade in the inaugural franchise-based multi-million dollar World Series Hockeyu00a0(WSH) tournament (December 17-January 12).
However, he may have to forego his India jersey because Hockey India, the game's governing body here, has strictly instructed the national team players to report for a month-long camp in Bengaluru beginning December 11 in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers (on 18 February, 2012). And therein lies the dilemma.
Not even a loo
Unfortunately for Valmiki, his entry into the national team earlier this year coincides with one of the worst possible periods in Indian hockey, where a power struggle between two national bodies - Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) - to run the game in the country is badly affecting players.
Most members of the national team that recently returned after finishing second at the Champions Challenge in South Africa are in the same boat as Valmiki - having to choose between country and the IHF-backed WSH.
However, Valmiki's dismal financial condition is what separates him from his teammates. "My family's living condition is an open secret. We have been living in a shanty without water and other basic necessities for decades.
u00a0
 |
| Yuvraj Valmiki's parents and brother live in a shanty in Marine Lines, without proper electricity or even a bathroom. He shot to fame after he smashed the penalty against Pakistan to give India a crucial 3-1 lead in the Asian Champions Trophy finals in China in September Read Next Story Trending StoriesLatest Photos |
