(From right) Gurbux Singh, Keshav Chandra Dutt and Bir Bahadur Chettri share some priceless snapshots with students. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

The auditorium of La Martiniere for Boys School buzzed with excitement on August 8 as students from 20 schools jostled with each other for a peek at a gold medal, the tricolour and lots of snapshots. At the centre stood veteran hockey players — Gurbux Singh, Keshav Chandra Dutt and Bir Bahadur Chettri — sharing Olympic tidbits and memories of hockey’s glorious past with kids.

The event marked the centenary celebrations of the Bengal Hockey Association. Set up in 1908, even before the Indian Hockey Association, the body has been a pioneer in encouraging youngsters to take up the game.

“Though hockey is not as popular today and we have sent no squad to the Beijing Olympics, we should not lose heart,” said Singh, the general secretary of Bengal Hockey Association. He added that schools should also encourage the sport. The Olympians also stressed that hockey has suffered because of the lack of infrastructure.

A 10-minute interactive session saw students eagerly asking questions. “How difficult was it to fend off Pakistan?” asked one, referring to the India-Pakistan final during the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Singh, who was part of the winning squad, compared it to a East Bengal– Mohun Bagan clash.

Students also voiced concerns about hockey players being paid a pittance. Harsimran Singh, a Class XII student of Khalsa Model School rued that most endorsements revolved around cricket players. A short film When We Were Kings, highlighting the achievements of players from 1920 to 1980, was shown to the students. A quiz on hockey was conducted, where Park English School and Assembly of God Church were the joint winners.

The evening was topped off with the Olympians displaying their gold medals and other memorabilia. The veteran players had also brought the tricolour carried at the 1964 Olympics and a pair of boots Singh had worn.

Doel Bose,
St Xavier’s College