An attempt to delve into the labyrinth of Sansarpur’s hockey — in a bid to recapture its past glory in Olympics — can be an emotionally draining experience. Once a celebrated nursery of Indian hockey, it has failed to produce an Olympian in last 35 years.
The Sansarpur chronicle is very distressful. The small village outside Jalandhar which was known for its dominance in the hockey circuit seems to have been lost somewhere in the thin air. The village, which once boasted of producing 14 Olympians (nine for India, four for Kenya and one for Canada) has become a forlorn chapter in the book of hockey. This legendary village hasn’t had an Olympian since Ajit Pal Singh Kular in 1976. There have been just two players who have donned the Indian colours after Ajit Pal, the latest being Ravipal Singh, who has off and on been in the Indian side since 2005.
Sansarpur has made a unique contribution to Indian hockey. No place in the world can associate itself with the dominion that this small village once had in the field of hockey. And the interesting fact is that all the 14 Olympians belong to one clan — Kulars — and come from the same street in the village. Apart from the Olympic medals, they have four gold and eight silver medals in the Asian Games to their credit.
The village which once produced stalwarts like Udham Singh, Balbir Singh and Ajit Pal Singh has been out of business for long.
According to Col (retd) Balbir Singh, who represented India in the 1968 Olympics, there are many reasons for it. The biggest reason is government’s apathy towards the game in the village. “The village can regain its past glory if plans of nurturing talent and providing proper training at the grassroots level by the government (both state and Central) are carried out in practice instead of being just reduced to talks,” says the Olympics bronze medallist.
“A village, which has a glorious hockey history, does not have a synthetic turf. Forget about the turf, we don’t have a field of our own. The youngsters practice in the two fields provided to us by the Army. Even the players get disheartened by the treatment meted out to them by the Government. The players lost all interest in the game due to constant negligent from the government,” adds Col Balbir.
He says, with a wry smile, that he wrote several letters to sports ministers at the Centre, including Uma Bharti, Sukhdev Dhindsa and the late Sunil Dutt, requesting them to install an artificial turf in the village, but nothing happened.
“I have also tried to explain it to Punjab chief ministers Prakash Singh Badal and Capt Amrinder Singh but no response has come from anyone so far. We have the talent in our village but no infrastructure. We have even sent a plea to the authorities concerned that they should give us the Army land on lease and we will arrange for the turf from our sources. But even this has not worked,” said the Olympian.
Apart from this, the stalwarts feel that lack of support and jobs are a big hindrance. “In absence of jobs and incentives, the enthusiasm in youngsters for the game is diminishing day by day. Most of them either go abroad or opt for careers others than hockey. It’s no longer a passion,” adds Col Balbir.
But have the Olympians themselves done anything to motivate the youngsters, as none of them reside in the village at present? Col Balbir takes the point well. “Yes, it’s a fact which we cannot deny. Though we have been doing our bit, it’s not enough. As for now, all of us live away from our village and there is no inspiration for the youngsters after the demise of Udham Singh a few years ago,” he said.
Pargat Singh, former hockey captain and Punjab Sports Director, feels that it is because of the association that this famed village does not find any mention in the Indian hockey. “The whole system has deteriorated. The interest which everyone upheld in hockey is nowhere to be seen. Shortage of funds has led the players and the associations to lose interest in the game. The local body needs a lot to do to uplift the game. The hierarchy which was followed in the earlier stages are not seen anymore. The jobs at the club level and the district level have become honorary. No one is interested in any sorts of honorary jobs in today’s world. So to uplift the game in Sansarpur, the local body has to buck up and find ways to generate funds so that the interests of the players are upheld in the game,” opines Pargat.
However, Ajit Pal Singh feels that lack of facility cannot be cited as a reason for the downfall of hockey in his village. “See hockey as a whole has taken a slump in the country. We cannot blame lack of good infrastructure for deterioration of hockey in Sansarpur. Even when we used to play, we never had infrastructure, but we still played and excelled in the game. The main reason for this slump is the diminishing interest of the players. The youngsters nowadays have a lot of options. Earlier, we never had any option. We had to play hockey. The youngsters want to do something that gives them money. But we all know that hockey does not give money. Another reason for the downfall of hockey is the absence of grass root level hockey. The amount of hockey at the grass root level has to be increased, if hockey has to be revamped in the country,” added the Olympian.
Agrees Ravipal, who is the only player of the village in the present Indian squad. “Yes, I am very proud to be from the village with such illustrious reputation. Earlier, every child of my village was interested in wielding the stick. We have so many great players like Ajit pal Singh, Col Balbir Singh, Tarsem Singh and many others. But now hockey is waning in popularity. Youth are more interested in profession which fetch them money. Hockey as a career is no more in their priority list,” says Ravipal.
Whatever the reason, it’s really painful to see Sansarpur’s hockey going to the dogs. A village which once defined, refined and even rendered a touch of divinity to the game, is today in danger of falling off the nation’s hockey map. It’s time the government, the IHF and hockey lovers woke up to give this unique hockey bastion a new life.
Olympians from Sansarpur who represented India
1. Col Gurmit Singh Kular 1932, 2. S. Udham Singh Kular 1952, 56, 60, 64, 3. S. Gurdev Singh Kular 1956, 4. S. Dashan Singh Kular 1964, 5. S. Balbir Singh Kular 1964, 68, 6. Col. Balbir Singh Kular 1968, 7. S. Jagjit Singh Kular 1964, 68, 8. Tarsem Singh Kular 1968, 9. S. Ajit Pal Singh Kular 1968, 72, 76
Olympians from Sansarpur who represented Kenya
1. Late Hardian Singh Kular 1968, 72, 2. S. Hardev Singh Kular 1956, 1960, 3. S. Jagjit Singh Kular 1968, 4. S. Harvinder Singh Kular 1988
Olympian who has represented Canada
1. Bindi Singh Kular 2000
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
