We often tend to blame our government for not allocating funds for hockey and it is indeed true as just a petty sum of Rs 3 Crore is allocated to the awards and grants to all other sports combined when a single cricketer earns it in period of less than a year. The discrimination is there but its not baseless, its an outcome of the inclinations of people. We all have played Gully cricket in our childhood days, how many of us play gully hockey and I dont think that increasing the budget of the IHF would even slightly alter the scenario. Every nation has a sport that runs in the veins of its people like Brazil has soccer, canada ice hockey, US Baseball, similarly we have cricket. In case there is a cricket match we see an over whelming crowd who is desperate to get into the stadium, Can we expect even 5% of the turnout (and thus revenues ) if there were a Hockey match being conducted. All this worship of players, high brand value, high offers are offshoots of the inherent passion of the people of india for the game, not due to a policy discrimination of the government. Would just increasing the funds and facilities available to the hockey player increase the charisma of the game. It is the likeliness of the people that gives the game its aura not the allocated funds and facilities.
What we lack is a respect and an appreciation for other sports like hockey which cant be garnered in a day or so, any sport that attracts masses is bound to get glorified and there is nothing wrong with that.
Sent to THE HINDU on 13 March 2008
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