Guardians of the game

At a time when Indian hockey is witnessing signs of resurgence, former captain Col. (Retd.) Balbir Singh in his vividly written memoir 'An Olympian's Tryst with Soldiering' reflects on India's golden hockey era, the decline post-1968, and the 'motherly role' played by the Indian Army in nurturing Olympians

- VINAY KUMAR

The Indian Hockey team is back to winning days in recent years. The Olympic Bronze Medals in the Paris and Tokyo Games as well as the Gold in the Asian Games have renewed interests in hockey. But there was a time when India was an undisputed leader in the world hockey, winning hat-trick Gold in Olympics.

The Indian Army had fostered the hockey players, honing their skills with exposure and facilities, while also ensuring their employments in the armed forces. The motherly role of the Indian army is traced with vivid accounts in the memoir of Olympics veteran Col. (Retd.) Balbir Singh.

Col. (Retd.) Balbir Singh had captained the Indian Hockey Men's team. After retirement from playing career, he coached the Men's and Women's teams. He clinically examines the decline of the Indian Hockey team after winning three consecutive Gold medals in the Olympics.

To him the decline in the hockey team's performances at the world stage came with the experiment of disturbing the leadership of the players. In his memoir, Col. (Retd.) Balbir Singh writes: "Winning the Bronze Medal in the 1968 Olympics was more reason for reflections than celebrations."