India is home to countless indigenous games which are geography and climate-specific and health-boosting. Even when the British ruled, cricket was only a radio-game for the urban elite. The bulk of the population loved kabaddi, hockey and football much more than the present-day money-laden cricket which has killed all other games due to artificial glamour provided by television.
Association football is called soccer; our hockey is known as ‘field hockey’ which is also considered national game of Pakistan, a part of undivided India, like kabbadi. Incidentally, field hockey has remained the most successful sport for India with eight Olympic gold medals and many wizards having been created including the legendary Dhyan Chand on whose birthday on August 29, India celebrates the National Sports Day. Other indigenous sports include kho-kho, kabaddi, kite flying and Gillidanda. In chess, snooker, badminton and kabbadi, India has won Olympic medals like in wrestling, shooting, weightlifting, boxing and tennis. India has also won World Cups in cricket, field hockey and kabbadi.
But hockey is a universally popular game and a fast one like soccer. As if desired by the lord, most hockey talents got born in Odisha over the last three decades, particularly in the tribal regions of western Odisha who made India proud. Needless to mention, the State Government took special care to promote the game with utmost sincerity; and today, Odisha is the breeding ground of hockey wizards.
The Kalinga Stadium was especially turned into a hockey hub; and international tournaments have been held with incredible success. Due to hockey, the sports administrators got so enthusiastic that they created super-class global infrastructure to hold any sports event like athletics, football and more.
Because of proven skills of officials and unforgettable experiences of sportspersons and officials from all over, Bhubaneswar is now considered the de facto sports capital of India. It is common knowledge that most countries have popular games that are recognised as de facto national games. Football, cricket and kabbadi, et cetera, are the common ones. But some countries have been sensitive to being formally specific.
They have notified their games as lawfully-approved so as to promote them with a fitting funds allocation to ensure incentives: Argentina-Pato 1953; Bahamas-Cricket 1973; Bangladesh- Kabaddi 1972; Brazil- Soccer 1972; Canada-lacrosse in summer; Ice hockey in winter 1994; Chile-Chilean Rodeo 1962; Columbia-Tejo 2000; Iran-Varzesh-e-Bastani, Wrestling, Polo 1976; Mexico-Cross country 1933; Nepal- Volleyball 2017; Philippines-Arnis 2009; Puerto Rico-Paso Fino 1996; South Korea-Taekwondo 2018; Sri lanka-Volleyball 1991;Uruguay-DestrezasCriollas 2006.
The sensitive Naveen administration got to know that hockey is not yet a lawfully-notified national game of India while Pakistan keeps claiming it as its national game. Fortunately, the neighbour too has not got it formalised as de jure. So, it is extremely important that India grab it as its own in the global sports landscape. But strangely, because Naveen placed the proposal with PM Modi, the BJP with all their super fertile sports brains found the issue an inane one and virtually trashed it.
The Sports Minister, himself an Olympian shooting medalist, Rathore, trivialised the proposal saying it’s known to all that hockey is India’s national game, and there is no need to make it de jure. For sure, he never studied well; for he has no knowledge of Pakistan’s claim to the same. More painfully, local BJP numbskulls raised an out-of-the-context issue regarding a popular State song by way of an anthem to be formalised to attain a de jure status. As usual, the perpetually news-hungry media, particularly the ever-boring television channels, kept harping on the “‘Bande Utkala Janani” number having been ignored all this time. The saffron brigade would not ever know that Pakistan has become wise and may declare hockey its national game any moment. India will then be forced to become a helpless copycat even if it too does give hockey a formal national status after the age-old rival does take a fast step. Bangladesh has taken away kabaddi. India may have to settle down with ‘Gullidanda’ without a choice then.
Naveen was keen to bring glory to a game that has brought India so much pride. But Rathore despite a laudable sports background and upbringing had to please the headless masters only to prevent Naveen from becoming a pioneer or hero. Modi, Amit Shah or any other saffron biggie cannot afford to ignore Naveen on the political canvass because they know too well it’s Naveen again in 2019.
They are too sure that without Naveen’s support, they may have to melt away to obscurity as non-BJP forces are gaining strength by the day. The Modi magic is on the wane and Shah is boring and irritating masses more than ever before. It is very likely that Rathore has to hide his face in shame one of these days for having paid no heed to a very important matter of national dignity.
*A few interesting facts about the Emergency imposed 43 years ago:
lalu Prasad Yadav, then a 26-year-old student leader, had persuaded Gandhian Jayprakash Narayan (JP) to come out of hibernation and lead the country in a “total revolution” against the oppressive Government of the time. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was instrumental in the formation of the Jana Sangh, a united opposition against the ruling Congress.
The military was the only state entity that didn’t care a damn. Army Chief General TN Raina was good to Mrs Gandhi, but he bluntly refused to help the Congress at a massive rally around the India Gate by supplying water.
Sanjay Gandhi’s aide Rukhsana Sultana, who called herself his “ice-cream buddy”, was his point of contact to Delhi’s Muslim localities. She was allegedly paid Rs 84,000 for convincing 8,000 people to opt for vasectomies to boost “family planning” efforts. Fernandes, who had masterminded the railway strike, was constantly in disguise to avoid arrest. Even Subramanian Swamy, to escape arrest, had fled to the US. later, he had also fled to Nepal. Biju Patnaik and many other stalwarts had courted arrest without hiding.
The Emergency came into effect from June 25, 1975 to end on March 21, 1977. It was officially announced by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. The period will be remembered for the way in which people came together and safeguarded the democratic values.
The Emergency granted PM Indira Gandhi the authority to rule by decree, the way monarchs and dictators ruled in ancient times whereby countrymen lost all rights of their own. During the period leading up to 1975, political unrest had started brewing against the Indira Gandhi Government in the entire country.
The unrest was marked by some significant movements including the Nav Nirman movement in Gujarat led by students and middleclass people against corruption. Student agitation by the Bihar Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti was led by socialist Jayprakash Narayan, who also declared a “total revolution”. There was a nationwide strike of railway employees.
The entire Congress Parliamentary Party supported the emergency barring five dissidents, Chandrashekhar, Mohan Dharia, Ram Dhan, Krishan Kant and laxmikanthamma. All five were suspended from the party. It was the third time in the history of independent India. The other two were in 1962-1968 (Indo-China war) and 1971 (Indo-Pak war).
The Press suffered the most as every word was screened by the Government authorities. Every time Supreme Court ordered something against the Government, Gandhi changed laws about rights of court. lastly on June 12, the Allahabad High Court, on a petition filed by the Bharatiya lok Dal, declared Indira’s election win from Rae Bareli void.
On June 25, at a massive rally in Delhi, JP announced a weeklong Satyagraha to press for Indira’s resignation. That night, on the advice of West Bengal Chief Minister SS Ray, Emergency was declared.
Emergency days are now being termed by the BJP as ‘dark days of democracy’ to defame the Congress of today. But Sports Minister Rathore has no heart for hockey despite being made wise up by Naveen Patnaik. That’s a terrible pity!