When The Indian Eves' Finished " FOURTH " in 1974 : The Ist Ever Womens' World Cup Hockey

 


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…….

 These lines actually defines and sets the rules when something incredible and the out of the world happens. But when it happens, it happens that words finds it hard to come and describe them …..

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 


 “ IT IS ONLY THE ONE OCASSION IN THE ANNALS  OF INDIAN HOCKEY THAT THE EVES’ AND THE MENS’ FINISHED FIRST IN AN INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY COMPETITION HELD AT SAME YEAR …..”

 The picture/ photo ,  that I have depicted here is the Indian Eves’ Hockey Team of 1974 that played in the inaugural World Cup Hockey and the same team which won the Begum Akhtar Rasool Eves International Hockey in 1975. This was the eves Indian Hockey team then-:

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 .


 


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