Historic 1974 World Cup team: Sitting (l-r): Rekha, Parminder, Geeta,( Vice - Captain ) Ajinder (captain), Avinash, Rupa, Kanwaljt. Standing (l-r): Kartar Singh, Kiran, Lorren, Chanchal , Neena, Rajani, Mridula, Nimmy, Otilla.
Pic - :: The 1974 Womens World Cup Eves' Hockey Indian Team
When The Indian Eves' Finished " FOURTH " in 1974 : Ist Ever Womens' World Cup Hockey
I do not know from where to start with. I do
not know how to end that…….
This actually happened this time when the Eves Indian Hockey
team created that kind of a furore in
the Olympics at Tokyo and this was the second occasion that the Eves in Hockey
finished fourth. Way back in the seventies it happened once when we finished
fourth
The
Story Of World Cup Hockey 1974 - ::
Indian
Eves Hockey then was purely based on the little money that the Governemnt of
India would give the Women Hockey Association to spent on it for the activity
and play.
A Lady by the name of madam Vidya Stokes, who was a Rajya Sabha
member and was heading the All India Womens’ Hockey federation was very close
to Mrs Indira Gandhi. It was she who saw to that the money from the Government
came to the Eves Hockey Fedration . A Little over Rs One lakh per annum from
the annual Sports Budget was spent on the welfare of Womens’ Hockey In India
then.
During that period of time, there was the National Eves Hockey
competition and the Begum Rasool International Eves Hockey competition and for
the benefit of the READERS here, it was as equivalent to the RENE
FRANK INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY tournament for the Mens’ .This tourney was
last played in 1975 during the month of December and in the Finals then, India
had defeated Belgium by 2-0 to win that. Ever since that, now almost 46 years
that this tournament is not held AND IT
IS HIGH TIME THAT THE I.H.F HOLDS IT EVERY YEAR.
Indian Womens’ Stands FIRST on the PODIUM once in 1975.
In the Begum Rasool International event, India in 1975 led by
Ajinder Kaur , stood FIRST to stand on the WINNERS place on the podium.That is
the ONLY occasion that India had ever won any title on the INTERNATIONAL scale
in the eves Hockey. In that tourney the Captain of the Indian Hockey team led
by Ajinder with Ajinder herself displaying that a kind of beautiful Hockey gave
an illustration of what delectable Hockey can do…. However that kind of a scene
has to be seen as that has NOT been repeated in the annals of Indian Eves’
Hockey.
World Cup Hockey 1974 for the Eves’
In 1974 the Eves Senior National Hockey titles was over. Punjab
had won that title that year. Thereafter there was a squad selected for this
tourney and there were as many as 22 playres who were selected . Of them there
were as many as 11 from Punjab.
It was as if the entire Punjab’s team was selected for the
tourney. Now if that happens there would be a great scream that would be in the
offing. But at that time there was NOT. It was because every Punjabi Eves’ that
were selected were the most deserving one’s to be selected .
The list was finally pruned to 18 and there were as many as six
Punjabi’s selected in that squad with Ms Ajinder Kaur leading the team .
Mandelieu :: The Venue Where
The First Ever Eves World Cup Was Held
It
was this place at France where the FIRST ever WORLD Cup eves Hockey was held.
By that time the Men saw the second edition of the World Cup being over with
Holland winning that beating India by a score of 6-4 ( 4-2) in the tie breaker
.That was for the FIRST time in the History of World Cup that an European team
had won the World Cup title in the Men’s section. Before that in 1972 West
Germany had beaten Pakistan by 1-0 with Michael Karuse scoring that winning
goal in the Olympics . That was for the FIRST time that an Asian country did
not win the Olympic title in Hockey…..
Preparation Of The Eves’
Indian team in 1974 -:
The
Entire budget for the Eves Indian Hockey per annum during 1974 was only limited
to Rs One lakhs only. It was not possible to fund the team at all to be at the
camp and then again to fly at France and play the tourney. Mrs Vidya Stokes
approached some great hearted players and with them to some good Samaritans at
Haryana and Punjab to raise the fund and there were a few who donated some
money. Thereafter she again approached the Gharana, the Gwalior, the Patiala,
and the nawabs of Lucknow who were the Hockey fanatics and after many an
attempt she could raise some funds,these were the cash with which the Indian
team started it’s preparation.
A
little aid came to the team where some European club has promised to play some
matches with the Indian Eves to enable them to prepare for the tourney and the
team was allotted and given some money/currency in terms of the dollars which
in the long way helped this team to meet it’s expenses which was just as good as
living on the edge or that could be termed as a HAND-TO-MOUTH kind of an
situation.
This
team was camped at Shimla and the training at that place began in the right
earnest. The M.L.A cottage was the place where the ladies were camped and the
Parade Ground during that time was the playground then where the practice and
the training sessions were held. It was for the measures of Madam Vidya Stokes
that helped this team to prepare at it’s best. The food and the other
arrangement went in a long way to keep the team in the best of the possible
manner and all the efforts made by Mrs Vidya Stokes came in as a handy to get
the team prepared for the tourney.
The
team played as many as seven matches at Europe before it played it’s first match in the World Cup at Mandelieu . The appearance money that
the team received went in a long manner to cover up their cost at France.
India’s Performance-:
In the FIRST match that
India was to play- INDIA CREATED A
FURORE AND A EARTHQUAKING DISASTER AT EUROPE.
This
is how the European newspaper had described that. In a fast paced match, where
the indian could not match the Dutch team in physique, the Indian team falling
to the artistic display of Hockey, the grand Asian style of play, with their
wrist work and body feinting completely put the Dutch team at the bay to beat
them by 1-0 in the very first encounter.
The
Two teams India and Netherland/Holland, finished the group by scoring and
earning SIX points each. However as India had beaten the Dutch team by 1-0 in
their encounter between them, India was given the PRIDE-OF-THE-PLACE in the
group and Dutch finished second to qualify for the semis.
As In 1974 So As In 2021-:
In
the semis, India was to play Argentina. It was
a see-saw-ding-dong battle and the match ended without any stalement
being broken. However in the extratime
the Argentine scored off a penalty stroke and won that match by 1-0. It was as
same as the Olympics 2021 where India again lost to Argentina by 2-1, by a
solitary goal.
The
body physique of the Argentine was and were most in the play as the thiiny
skiined Indians found it too hard to digest and within the regulation time
there was a genuine penalty that was deprived to India. Had there been a video
analysis of the same then in 1974 , the technology which are now used but which
was not there in Hockey then, India would have won that penalty stroke but
those era was different. A fighting India lost the game then and had to play
for the Bronze.
In
the play off for the Bronze the ladies went down playing gallantly, losing to
West Germany by 2-0. It was again the same at the Tokyo Olympics where in the
group encounter , India had lost to Germany by 0-2.
The
ladies finished FOURTH and that was the FIRST occasion that India finished as
fourth quite alike the result that they
achieved at Tokyo 2021 in the Olympics.
Begum Akhtar Rasool
International Trophy1975, India on the top of Podium-::
The
success of India at the inaugural Eves’ Hockey gave many a thoughts and the
dimension to the Eves’Hockey as a sports to be followed at India.It was again
the masterplan of Mrs Vidya Stokes and the permission that Mrs Indira Gandhi gave
it nodding her approval for the Begum Akhtar Rasool International Hockey, to be
played at India, ther same Indian Hockey team this time send a wave to all
across the WORLD. The team , the same one
led by Ajinder Kaur, then, WON THAT CHAMPIONSHIP and later on the Indian
Mens’ Hockey team won the International Rene Frank Hockey Tournament beating
Belgium in the finals at Chennai then.
Pic - :: 1975, The Indian Eves Hockey team Member With The Gold Medal Captain Ajinder Kaur in 1975
Team-:
Historic 1974 World Cup team:
Sitting (l-r): Rekha, Parminder, Geeta, Ajinder (captain), Avinash, Rupa,
Kanwaljt. Standing (l-r): Kartar Singh, Kiran, Lorren, Chanchal , Neena,
Rajani, Mridula, Nimmy, Otilla.
Of that
team, Ms Chanchal Kaur, then had married Surjit Singh who scored that equalizer
against Pakistan in the World Cup in 1975 . later in 1980 the top scorer of the
Indian Womens’ Hockey team of the 1982 Delhi Asiad where India had won a GOLD
in the inaugural Asian games Eves Hockey, as the eves Hockey was introduced for
the Asian games in 1982, was married to Surinder Singh Sodhi who scoring 15
goals for India at the Moscow Olympics cretade w Olympic record for becoming
the HIGHEST goal scorer in a single edition of the Olympics.
1975 : A Year " DOOM" For Cricket, But Not A " POMPY- POOP " For Hockey -:
If one talks about 1975, it brought in many a heart break for the lovers of cricket. The West - Indies team was touring India and was playing it's last Test at Bombay then at the newly laid Wankhede Stadium. The Indian team had lost that match. A beauty of an inswinger which deviated very late but very accurately of a Vanburn Holder deliver broke Vishvanath's stump and that killed India in that Test as well as in that sries for India to lose by 2-3 to them.
It was again the failure of the Indian cricket team to make it to the semis in the inaugural World Cup cricket, losing to New Zealand with only three deliveries remaining, to fail to make it to the semis of that edition of the World Cup cricket, the inaugural which was played in 1975 at England. That broke many a lives of the Indians.
However that amends was made in Hockey. First on March 15th 1975, India defeated Pakistan by 2-1 to win her ONLY World Cup title so far.Then the Eves' yteam won the International Begum Rasoll Trophy, to finish number one on the podium. That was and that is the ONLY sucess of India in the annals of her Eves' Women Hockey. Lastly tyhe Indian Men's team won the Rene Frank International Trophy beating Belgium by 2-0 in the finals.
" THOSE THREE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY TITLES BY INDIA WON IN 1975 IN A SINGLE YEAR REMAINS THE MOST AND THE BEST EVER PERFORMANCE BY INDIA TO WIN AS MANY AS THREE TITLES IN A SINGLE YEAR IN HOCKEY SO FAR....."
The loss of cricket was made up as an amends by the Hockey team- both the Eves' and the Men's team and in a way Mr Gurcharan Singh Bodhi as a Coach was instrumental to make India to win these three titles in a single year in the annals of India Hockey. He was the SUPERVISING-OVERALL Coach of thre Eves' team and the MAIN COACH of the Men's team in 1975 and all the honours were because of his astute and clinical coaching.
Mr Gurcharran Singh Bodhi to be conferred the " PADMA SHRI "
" IF THE SPORTS MINISTRY HAS SOME SENSE, THEY SHOULD CONFER THE PADMA SHRI TO Mr GURCHARRAN SNGH BODHI THIS YEAR FOR HIS OVERALL CONTRIBUTION TO HOCKEY AND I REQUEST Mr NARENDRA MODI AND THE HON'BLE PRESIDENT FOR THE SAME " .... .
Pic - :: Ajinder Kaur Is Introduced To An Government Official At The Hockey Camp At Shimla, 1974 By Mr Gurcharran Singh Bodhi .Madam Vidya Stokes look on.
I always write this sentence on the indian Government so HARSHLY because ever since this Government has taken to the power to rule India, it has NEVER and NOT been wise and sensible to confer the award that RELIGIOUSLY belongs to Hockey. How comes that Major Dhyanchand, and Captain Roop Singh have NEVER been conferred the award of BHARAT RATNA as wewll as the Padma Shri even if that ought to be poshthumously and the Padma Shri to this GREAT Hockey coach Mr Gurcharran Singh Bodhi for his contribution to Hockey. TRILLIONS of REQUEST will never fall on the deaf ears of the Indian Government even If I have to touch their feet and request them of doing so.....
Eves’ Hockey Becomes A Skeleton
after 1980 - ::
After 1980,
the then Moscow Olympics, where India then had finished FOURTH, or it could be
even fifth out of the five teams that competed then with Zimbabwe winning the Eves Olympics Hockey Gold then, eves
hockey in India had become a skeleton, which was good keeping it in the
showcase of the medical colleges at India.
It is this
eves 'Indian hockey team which added all the muscles and the veins of that skeleton that was the Eves’ Hockey and
it’s shape and condition that it remained, lest the eves’ Hockey team of
Olympics 2021 put that and made it to WALK with the HEAD-HELD-HIGH.
The girls
on that day were shredding the TEARS for having failed to win that medal- but
they hardly know that THEY HAD EQUALLED THE FEAT THAT THE EVES’
GOT IT FOR THEM AND FOR INDIA SOME 46 YEARS AGO….. at Mandelieu, France….
Every PENNY
hat these Eves’ are earning worth it.
For as for them and those who are following the Eves Indian Hockey in
details with every perennials that goes attached with it, the eves have-:
DUG THAT
DEAD BODY OF EVES INDIAN HOCKEY TO ADD TISSUES, MUSCLES AND EINS TO THAT
SKELETON TO MAKE IT WALK ON THE ROADS TO THE SOCIETY OF INDIA…..
THANK YOU “
QUEEN ” Ms RANI RAMPAL AND TO YOUR TEAM FOR THE SAME …….
Thanks You
Late Mrs Vidya Stokes for that finish of 1974 and the VICTORY at 1975 and THANK
YOU Mrs Ajinder Kaur for your ostentatious leadership at 1974 and at 1975 …..
That sums up it and that is 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 .
Comments
Post a Comment