Indian Hockey Like A Widow, Ousted From The family :: Ban Implied On Indian Hockey Finished Indian Hockey For Ever

Pic :: The Dead Indian Hockey Being carried To The Burial

Indian Hockey Like A Widow, Ousted From The family :: Ban Implied On Indian Hockey Finished Hockey

Society and the societal norm in India now, and even during those times, from the reins of the primitive India and even now are something which are cruel and which cannot be accepted but then that is what has been going all over and that is what is the fortune of India and the widows here at India had to bear.

In India the rules and the norms of the society  have been always been something which always has been under the questions with the lips remaining tight and yet the question kept on being raised as usual without any answer. That has been India and that is India. Times immemorial,  there have been many questions raised but there has not been any answer provided.

To cite an example, primitive India always saw the 60 years plus men taking a  plunge to remarry once their first wife died or would die.They would marry. However no sooner that they died the widow, a young woman would have to be on the trails of Sati to die. This was something very unacceptable then, but then this is how it was .Ditto with the Indian Hockey between the period after 1984 till 1988 when really for ever the Indian Hockey not only went for a Sati like performa but it went to the NO-RETURN-AT-ALL for ever and ever since then our Hockey was DEAD.

In the old or the primitive days, many WIDOWS were forced to leave the family once of her Husband was dead .The primary reason use to be that HOW CAN WE FEED HER WITH THIS MEAGRE RESOURCE. The same happened with the Indian Hockey when it was forced out of the family of World Hockey in 1985 after that ban was imposed on SIX Indian players after that asian Cup Hockey finals which was played at Dhaka in 1985. 

Selection :: Every Selection raised 1000 Question

Selection of Hockey players in India for the Indian team has always been and has always raised many a question. There has been useless selection but that is how it still continues .

First of all – How was Charanjit Kumar and later his brother Gundeep Kumar selected for the 1984 and the 1988 Olympic Squad. Similiarly how was Ashok Kumar, the deep defender selected for the 1988 Olympic squad. There has been two Ashok Kumar who played for India. One was the son of the famous and legend Dhyanchand, and the other was Ashok Kumar who was of the Northern railways. This Ashok Kumar who was with the Northern Railways raised many a question about his selection.

 Omission and selection always has been the fulcrum of every controversy in the Hockey team but it hardly evoked any roar as the team somehow digested the fact that because of these useless selections of the players the team at last would have to suffer, and that exactly kept on happening from as early as 1972 till the Olympics 1988.

If in 1972 we had Balbir Singh, Inam-Ur-Rehman or a Shahid Noor playing for us with Surjit Singh playing in place of Mukhbain Singh that Olympic Gold would have been our’s. Forget it and forget that. Let me come to some intriguing facts that raised murmurs and howls even now. Let me discuss.

Look into the team of the 1974 Asian Games of Tehran. M.P.Kusha was selected as the Centre Forward . He was a fine player who could have been tuned into a very good forward.He was far better than Ajit Singh. Ended with the end of the game of the Asiad then as the I.H.F and the one’s who controlled it wanted to give in more chances to Ajit Singh who was not at all a player worth giving any chances to represent India.He was a very ordinary Hockey player.

Came in 1975 and we saw Shivaji Pawar. He really was a PLAYER who could have gone FAR, FARTHER and FARTHEST. He really sparkled at the Kuala Lumpur World Cup Hockey and what a brilliant player was he. More chances should have given to him and he would have definitely delivered. It was imperative for anybody to take him to the Montreal Olympics in 1976. He would have definitely come in as a handy there at Montreal. Frankly if he had played that rematch against Australia which went to the extra time and ended with Australia ousting us, we could have won.We needed very badly a forward of that standard to score. However it was Ajit Singh and to bring up further Shivaji pawar was dropped. The result was to be seen and one saw that.

We ourself killed our hockey. Had not for Air marshal Noor Khan and Brigadier Atif in 1968 we would not have been playing the Olympics at Mexico then . Then there came a chance when our Hockey team was KILLED by the F.I.H.

Asia Cup 1985 :: CHEATS, ROBBERIES of A.H.F and F.I.H Kills India 

Coming back from the sojourn of the Olympics 1984 without anything to boast about , the next in the line was ther Asian Cup which was held at Dhaka. This was a far more important issue for Pakistan as compared to India. The Indian team which finished FIFTH at the Olympics at Los Angeles was far better than Pakistan as compared but finished at FIFTH and Pakistan came back with a GOLD hanging on it’s neck. As ususal  Pakistan had to play for it’s life and India had to play for proving that it was not a WIFE to be send to the pyre for the act to perform a Sati, but then SATI exactly happened there at Dhaka in 1985 for the Indian Hockey and from that the Indian Hockey never recuperated at all to breathe life .

There at Dhaka, India and Pakistan were expected to meet in the finals. Pakistan made it to the finals but it had to struggle very minutes to reach to that Finals. On the contrary India made a MINCE of it’s opponent to make it to the finals. That Indian team had a beautiful balance and there was a perfect synchronization between the deep defence and the midfield as well as the midfield and the forward line. A pint size player Mohammed Naim up there at the Centre playing as a Centre Forward was a SPRING that emitted water from say the barren land for india to score and India was scoring like anything.

Pakistan saw the fate before hand. The first move it made was that it announced for all the Bangladeshi’s to assemble for the Finals saying that they were their brothers and they wanted their brothers to present themselves for that finals. That gave them to boost to imagine that they were playing before their own family and friends.

Started the final, India and Pakistan on that day played like the TWO-LIONS fighting to prove ultimately  WHO WOULD BE THE KING OF ASIA. For India that Asian games pounding by 1-7 was clearly in the mind..That game ended with a score of 2-2 till the hooter. Came the extra time and Pakistan surged ahead 3-2 and within no time India made it 3-3 through a brilliant piece of stickwork and effort from Hardeep Singh . Then came the DEVIL.

Pakistan scored a GOAL which was NOT-A-GOAL at all. The ball had risen to the shoulder height and in Hockey as per the rules,  at that time the rules was ONE CANNOT RAISE THE STICK TO THE LEVEL OF SHOULDER TO SCORE and Kalimullah exactly did that. The ball entered into the Indian Goal. The Indian Goalkeeper , on the expectation that the shot would be given as FOUL did not take the necessary action to cover the goal and the ball too flew into the goal rather than CARPET-ROLLED into the goal.  THAT WAS A FOUL CREATED . But the Bangaldeshi referee gave it a GOAL.

There was a HUGE PROTEST and a KIND of a PANDEMONIUM created. Many Indian surrounded the referee and GHERAOED him and it went high and high.The tempers of the sardar’s playing for india rose to the height of the sky and someone slapped him hard. No sooner that one did there were some more who jabbed him. At that point of a TIME Merwyn Fernandes pushed all the Indian back and he held the referee to get  up. He was supported by L.Tikken Singh for that. That picture was flashed by the  newspaper agencies and it was printed all over.Merwyn than, after the referee was OK, consoled the refreree and demonstrated the HIEGHT of the stick and the ball that rosee above the shoulder satating that was a FOUL but the referee was adamant. He stood his ground .The Indians left the field in protest but after many request came back to play the required time. In the required time a penalty corner hit by India which went into the Pakistani goal was negated for the fact that while taking the push the ball was NOT stopped DEAD by the Indian on which Mohindrpal Singh had scored.. That gave that title to Pakistan.

Definitely it wasn’t a goal that Kalimullah had scored. It was a foul by every means  BUT THE   YOUNGER BROTHER’S HAD TO AWARD THE ELDER ONE FOR EVERY REASON as East Pakistan was a PART of Pakistan that was chopped by India to make it Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi that day CHOPPED  India to make the way clear for Pakistan to win that Asia Cup.

Back home there were as many as SIX players who were banned. It was a CYCLIC BAN in which three would be banned first for three years and then the remaining would be banned once these three came out of  the same. The ban on Rajinder Singh who was playing in the half for India and Merwyn Fernandes was so CRUEL in terms of everything that completely DUG the Indian Hockey for ever. Without Merwyn at the Centre forward line up, on the inside right, Shahid was  LEFT STRANDED for all the time. None that came to play for India with Shahid could come anywhere to the set standard of Merwyn and Shahid always was left alone without any support to get it from the forward line. Merwyn would play that 1-2 with Shahid and create opportunities for many goals but without Merwyn Shahid was WINGLESS to fly. That cut off  Indian Hockey for everything.

India could not win the 1986 Asian  Games just because Shahid was left all alone up there at the forward line to play all alone. Had Merwyn who was NOT AT ALL the culprit but was banned , been there at the forward line assisting Shahid the things at the Asian Games in 1986 could have been a bit different for the script to be written or scripted. The Indian Hockey was HALF DEAD by then

Olympic 1988 :: The Selection Of The Chief Coach Killed Indian Hockey

Came the Olympic 1988. The Services Sports Control Board through it’s influence on the I.H.F got M.P.    Ganesh to take over the charge of the Indian Hockey team to coach it for the Seoul Olympics.

This game from the start till the Hockey campaign ended for India saw the TUG-OF-THE-PRESTIGE -WASR between Indian Hockey player, Mohammed Shahid who till  the end kept on piling the pressure on him by soaking it and then SOFTLY but in a very SOPHISTICATED-PIERCING manner made the country and the I.H.F to realise that they were the MURDERERS and the RAPIST of Indian Hockey and not only that, they infact did send the Indian Hockey completely many a metres below the earth crust for it's burial.

PLAINLY - IT WAS  A END STORY OF THE LAST OF THAT MAN WHO FETCHED US THAT LAST GOLD FROM THE OLYMPICS FOR INDIA AND HER HOCKEY. 

Pic :: The Last Of The  GOLDEN MOMENT of Indian Hockey in 1980 at Moscow. 

It was not that a easy task for M.P.Ganesh to pick the very best of the best with as many as SIX Indian players who were banned. The THREE who completed their ban between 1985 to 1988 came back and one of them was Merwyn Fernandes . The other three went in for the  ban and one of them was L.Tikken Singh wo was a brilliant player  in the outside right then. Ganesh was very skeptical of Merwyn and his fitness but the Indian Airlines especially Ashok Kumar made him to understand that Merwyn was at his best of his fitness because he was fielded regularly by the Airlines to play for them here in the local and the home tournament for Indian Airlines.

It was that these players were banned from playing in the International tournaments but they were not al and not at all banned from playing in their home tourney. Indian Airlines were fielding Merwyn to the hilt here in the home tournaments and he was winning those Trophies for the Airlines.

The win of Indian Airlines in the 1986 All India Jawaharlal Nehru Cup if at all if there is that capsule that is with the Doordarshan- I WOULD REQUEST THE DOORDARSHAN TO PLAY IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MODERN DAY INDIANS TO SEE WHAT WAS MERWYN EVEN AT THAT TIME OF THE BAN. It would please the eye to see what Merwyn was capable of doing in terms of the standard being raised every minutes on the field. His ban was a tremendous blow to Indian Hockey as was the ban of L.Tikken Singh thereafter. It killed the Indian Hockey for everything.

So careless was the I.H.F that it did  not raise any concern at the F.I.H about this ban. It should have done that. It should have collected the screen shots from the Bangladesh Hockey and the Doordarshan who and which was telecast this match and should have approached the F.I.H about the same and should have fought TOOTH-AND-NAIL for this .The P.H.F did that when the I.O.A and the F.I.H had banned those eleven Pakistani players for Life in 1972 but the I.H.F was not at all interested to do anything. That really was  a surprise to many Hockey lovers at India. Some approached Rajiv Gandhi but he just told- THAT DOES NOT FALLS UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT. That and here ended the matter.

Coming back to the subject it was very difficult for M.P. Ganesh to choose the best out of the BEST from the available players. He was a COORGI and so was M.M.Somayya. No sooner that M.P.Ganesh saw Sommayya, the 1973 episode of the world Cup flashed across his eye. The Sardarji’s then in an manner protested and did not go for taking that penalty shot against Holland and B.P.Govinda missed that. Here he wanted to make an encore to rub that salt into the wound of Pargat Singh and Mohammed shahid.

Everybody in that camp who were the probable for Indian team at the prepatory camp were of the opinion that Mohammed Shahid would lead the team. However Ganesh had some other idea. He continuously played Shahid for ONE-HALF of every game and every match be it against the Hockey series against Pakistan which was held between the two nation to give it’s players the chance to gain experience playing against the top team. He continued that fashion on every occasion.

The one’s who played Hockey, who knew Hockey and who could analyse Hockey were shocked. Many raised some questions to which Ganesh  replied- SHAHID IS BEING MADE TO PLAY ONE HALF ONLY TO RAISE HIS FITNESS LEVEL. This was a PLOY of M.P. Ganesh to prove it to the WORLD that Shahid was NOT 100% fit to play the full course of the match . He was needed in the scheme because of his brilliant dribblings and because in a wink of the eye he could change the course of the match like anything. That is why Ganesh continued with him.

When the team was announced it was M.M. Somayya who was named as the captain for the seoul Olympics. This infuriated many from Uttar Pradesh and specially the boys who were from the Indian railways such as ashok Kumar, the deep defender,Pargat Singh,, Ramprakash Singh, Vivek Bhan Singh who all were from Uttar Pradesh and who were a member of that Indian Railway team which won that national Hockey where Shahid individually made them to win that Trophy in the national. Not only that, Shahid was adjudicated as the BEST Player of that national. Here he was played for ONE HALF and now the captainship  was taken away from him to be given to M.M.Somaya who actually it is  said that was a relative, a FAR-DISTANCE relative of M.P.Ganesh, and again it was the COORGI connection that came in for the Captainship to be handed to M.M.Somayya.

So uprooted was Shahid that he immediately at the moment wanted to hang his shoe and the stick. He had by then lost his FIRST BORN, a daughter and he was completely shaken and grounded .For when he lost his  daughter he was NOT given any LEAVE to attend her funeral. Now was the last nail hit into his coffin.  HE IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO LEAVE THE CAMP WHERE THE CAMP WAS HELD AND THE GAME AS WELL. It was Ashok Kumar, the son of Dhyanchand, Pargat Singh who was nominated as the Vice-Captain of that team , Vivek Bhan Singh and  Ramprakash Singh who continuously pegged him to continue and that changed his mind.

There at the Olympics the same trend continued. It was Shahid who would be brought in the last 25 minutes of the  game and he would create waves after waves for his team .This continued and after india lost to great Britain by 0-3 in the Group it was all over.

Shahid plainly there itself at the venue blamed M.P.Ganesh for the loss of the same and M.P.ganesh went on to say that  HE DOES NOT CONSIDER A PLAYER WHO WAS THE FATHER OF THREE TO PLAY FOR INDIA AT ALL BECAUSE A FATHER OF THREE IS NOT FIT ENOUGH TO PLAY HOCKEY FOR INDIA.

This caused many a RIPPLE at the venue at Seoul itself. Many from Uttar Pradesh who were a part of that team went on to say that- IF THAT IS TRUE THEN  DHYANCHAND NEVER WAS A HOCKEY PLAYER AT ALL AS HE HAD FOUR SONS AND THREE DAUGHTERS

Shaid was so upset that he went on to say that- THE HOCKEY THAT I HAVE PLAYED FOR INDIA WHERE OUT OF THE THIRTEEN TOURNAMENT AT THE INTERNATIONALS THAT I PARTICIPATED, I WAS ADJUDICATED AS THE BEST PLAYER OF THOSE TOURNAMENT IN NINE DIFFERENT TOURNAMENT. HOW MANY OF THOSE AARD HAS THIS FOOLISH INDIAN COACH WON AS A HOCKEY PLAYER

Those in his support went to the extent of saying that- SHAHID DID WIN ONE OLYMPIC GOLD. HOW MANY HAD THIS COACH WON FOR HIMSELF.

The scene was such that Shahid through the other team members of that Olympic Squad send a NOTE to Mr ganesh saying that HE MAY NOT BE FIELDED FOR THE CLASSIFICATION MATCHES AT ALL.

The Indian team of the Seoul Olympics would have finished atleast with a BRONZE but it did not because of the FOOLISHNESS of M.P.Ganesh . Shahid should have been played from the start itself and he SHOULD have LED India. the MENTAL state of many Sardarji's and the boy's from Uttar Pradesh assisting India in that tourney would have  been DIFFERENT , and a BRONZE MEDAL would have come to India from that PITIABLE and DISSMISSABLE Olympics .

M.P.Ganesh promptly dropped him for the remainder and THUS ENDED THE PRODUCTON OF MAGICS LIKE MOHAMMED SHAHID IN THE ANNALS OF INDIAN HOCKEY.

Thirty Two years have passed by , India has NOT got that kind of a Hockey player like Mohammed shahid. Thirty Two years has passed by Pakistan has FAILED to get ONE like Hasan Sardar . With that ENDED the REIN and the SAGA of ASIAN HOCKEY.

Can a LAMP with it’s LIGHT outwit the LIGHT of the SUN. what is the difference of the standard between these two. Same was the case with the standard of M.M.Sommayya if compared with Mohammed Shahid. Somayya was NOTING and NOTHING if compared with Mohammed Shahid .If M.M. Somayya has a OLYMPIC GOLD at his house in his showcase or the cubboard at Bombay  where he stays , it is BECAUSE of Mohammed Shahid who scored those THREE very CRUCIAL goals at Moscow Olympics, especially that FINAL ONE against Spain which HELPED India to win that LAST GOLD at Olympics on July 31^st 1980 if my memory serves me correct or July 29^th , maybe 1980 which enabled M.M.Somayya to stand on the VICTORY PODIUM to get that GOLD to hang on his NECK. For without Mohammed Shahid , that man Sommayya would not have been a GOLD for india or a GOLDEN BOY of Indian Hockey.

He was nowhere if compared to any standard if compared to Shahid but that Captainship was ROBBED from Shahid to give it to him by M.P.Ganesh for which MOST of the STALWARTS of Indian Hockey generally CHANGE their routes when they see Ganesh approaching them. Many do not like to talk to him at all for that act that he did to Mohammed Shahid. This is a FACT, a FACT and a FACT which many do not agree to speak but well within their HEART they accept this truth.

Went Shahid in that manner from indian Hockey and went Hasan sardar in that manner from Pakistan Hockey. Thereafter Indian Hockey was DEAD and Pakistan Hockey now is FINISHED for ever.

THAT MARKED THE END OF ASIAN HOCKEY

We the one’s who have played HOCKEY for our College team and who have broadcast the running commentary on HOCKEY for our regional radio station , we only are ALIVE to write all the tales about Indian Hockey.

M.P.Ganesh had KILLED Mohammed Shahid in 1988.His body was buried on July 20^th 2016 at Varanasi and these are the one’s WHO HAVE KILLED INDIAN HOCKEY.

The photo here is the dead body of Mohammed Shahid which the people are taking it from the bylane of his house to place it on the truck which was arranged by the DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE WORK at Varanasi,  where Shahid worked to earn his bread and butter at Varanasi, to bury it at the burial place at Varanasi .

For after the Olympics of Seoul in 1988  INDIAN HOCKEY CONTINUES WITH NO TALES TO WRITE FOR IT AT ALL. There is NOTHING that could be written about Indian Hockey in terms of anything after 1988 and with this the Indian Hockey and it’s saga comes to an end.

The last article tomorrow would describe in bits about the changes that erupted in Hockey and HOW THE ASIAN HOCKEY WAS KILLED FOR EVER .

Well , that is it and That sums it all.

Regards and Thanks

Pics

Shyamal Bhattacharjee 

Mr Shyamal Bhattacharjee, the author was born at West Chirimiri Colliery at District Surguja, Chattisgarh on July 6th 1959 He received his early education at Carmel Convent School Bishrampur and later at Christ Church Boys' Higher Secondary School at Jabalpur. He later joined Hislop College at Nagpur and completed his graduation in Science and he also added a degree in    B A thereafter. He joined the HITAVADA, a leading dailies of Central India at Nagpur as a      Sub-Editor ( Sports ) but gave up to complete his MBA in 1984 He thereafter added a Diploma In Export Management. He has authored THREE books namely Notable Quotes and Noble Thought published by Pustak Mahal in 2001 Indian Cricket : Faces That Changed It  published by Manas Publications in 2009 and Essential Of Office Management published by NBCA, Kolkatta  in 2012. He has a experience of about 35 years in Marketing .

Signature Of Shyamal Bhattacharjee 

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