Goalkeeping in hockey is not an easy job as it requires a lot of concentration and alertness. A momentary loss can make or break a goalkeeper’s career.
I have lived and enjoyed hockey all my life and learnt a lot from my seniors, contemporaries and even juniors. Goalkeeping is not an easy job as it requires a lot of concentration and alertness. It is mentally taxing. A momentary loss can create havoc — make or break a goalkeeper’s career.
The final between India and Pakistan at 1982 New Delhi Asian Games was a nightmare experience for me. The more I tried to forget it the more it haunted me. Though some critics hauled me up over coals but my friends and colleagues stood by me like a rock.
But the shocking defeat at the hands of our arch rivals took me away from international hockey for donkey’s years. I was given coaching assignment in 1998 and we won the gold at the Asian games. As coach of the Women’s hockey team I am proud that we won all the tournaments in 2003 and 2004 including the Asia Cup.
I am thankful to Yash Chopra and his production house for making Chak De, a film on hockey. Shah Rukh Khan’s involvement has made the project perfect. An electrifying personality, he strove hard to pick up the nuances of the game and coaching. Hats off to his involvement in the film, right from the writing desk to the editing table.
I am sure that the film will not only be a box office success but will kindle the hope for the reviving the game. It is bound to create a widespread awareness among the younger generation right across the country about the fabulous game of hockey. I would like to see a hockey stick in every child’s hands after the film is released. I dream of a time when the Tricolour will flutter at the Olympic podium when we win the gold medal once again.
(As told to Baljeet Parmar)
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