Adversity can bring cheery inspiration: if we have the stomach to fight our demons. Failure can do all sorts of things to our resolve. But the best way to deal with failure is to understand that there is no success without failure.
This was the lesson drawn in starting the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society in 1964, after India’s defeat to Pakistan in the 1960 Rome Olympics finals. Hockey was then India’s marquee sport, and the government immediately embraced Nehru Hockey, as the society is commonly called, with leading figures blessing its events, and senior officials running it.
In its initial decade Indian hockey’s allure helped Nehru Hockey build a strong support base. Such was the aura of Nehru Hockey that serving Presidents like Dr S Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Hussain, V V Giri, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Giani Zail Singh attended the Nehru senior tournament finals. Cabinet ministers like A K Sen, Y B Chavan, Ram Niwas Mirdha and Sharad Pawar became presidents of the society. Defence Secretary H C Sarin and Finance Secretary S Ratnan would later assume leadership positions. Chief ministers and union cabinet ministers attended Nehru tournaments.
But the credibility of a sport ultimately depends upon the players. With political support sealed, India’s leading players found in Nehru Hockey a platform to showcase their talents. The archives are incomplete on how many Nehru players went on to play for India. But as a nursery for players who did national duty its role has been stellar. Distinguished alumni include World Cup winners Ajitpal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Aslam Sher Khan and B P Govinda, and FIH All Stars players Dilip Tirkey and Sardar Singh. Michael Kindo, Harbinder Singh, Inam-ur-Rehman, Major Singh, Harmik Singh, Balbir Singh, Kulwant Singh and Baldev Singh, were other stalwart international players.
The Society’s home ground was the lady Harding Ground, later renamed Shivaji Stadium. Sustained success had made hockey a popular sport, and the stadium was filled for the majors. Fifteen thousand turned up to watch the finals of the senior tournament in 1966. Nehru players became famous Olympians, and the feel of the yellow metal kept the fire burning in their bellies. Since India was so good, Nehru tournaments attracted teams from 21 countries, including the major hockey- playing countries like Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Pakistan and Malaysia. Others like Canada, Japan, the USSR, China, Russia, Sri lanka, Bangladesh, Singapore, Oman, Kenya, the UAE (Dubai), Afghanistan, Nigeria and Yugoslavia sent teams. International participation in Nehru Hockey continues to this day.
Despite the gradual decline of Indian hockey, Nehru Hockey has had an uninterrupted history since 1964. With the changing times, past laurels were not enough for the society to maintain its standing. Wisely, it modernised itself. Today it is reckoned one of the few hockey bodies running junior tournaments. As the FIH has acknowledged, the innovation of a girls under 17 tournament is a boost to hockey as a global sport. The society addresses gender issues in sport in other ways as well. Since 2012, all the officials in the Nehru Girls Under 17 Hockey Tournament are female. The society has honed 10 female umpires and technical officials for the cause of Indian hockey.
As it celebrates its 50th year in 2013, Nehru Hockey has other innovations to its credit. It conducts tournament on astro turf and under flood lights. Supervision is of a high standard, to simulate the atmosphere of an international tournament, and boost player confidence. The 20th SAIl- Nehru Champion Colleges Hockey Tournament in Gwalior in February, 2013 was telecast live by Doordarshan, a practice being continued in the five tournaments this year. In 2013 Nehru Hockey introduced the Nehru- Dhyan Chand Delhi Schools Hockey Tournament for boys under 14, giving school children the novel experience of playing on astro turf under flood lights.
The modernisation of Nehru Hockey is part of a broader trend, and the results are showing. Unless the sport’s administrators scout for junior talent, India’s plans for hockey in the years ahead will go awry. Hockey India is well connected with Nehru Hockey, as a sponsor of its Under-17 Girls and Under-15 Boys tournaments. Some of the credit for the bronze medal won by the Indian girls in the 2013 Junior World Cup goes to Nehru Hockey, for persevering with its under 17 girls tournament. With the corporate sector lending increasing support to hockey, India has been able to win the right to host the Junior Men’s World Cup and the Hockey World league finals in the coming months. Growth at the apex will help Nehru Hockey develop its brand as a stalwart promoter of the sport.
Jitendra Nath Misra is an Indian Foreign Service officer. These are his personal views, not those of the government.