It wasn’t tough to notice a group of Sikhs in orange shirts and white turbans sitting at the Wankhede corner of the MHAL Stadium on Thursday. Keeping a watchful eye on the game between Indian Navy and Abhi Foundation in the Mumbai Super Division League encounter were the Namdhari XI. What makes these men from Haryana special? Having produced the likes of Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh, Malak Singh and Gurmail Singh, to name a few, the Namdharis can stake claim to being the one of the top hockey academies in the country.
A reason for their success can be attributed to how the religious values of the Namdhari sect dictate many aspects of their lives including hockey. Hailing from Sant Nagar, Sarsa (a district in Haryana), each member of the squad is a strict vegetarian and has to wear a white turban and kacchas under his shorts while playing. If that’s not enough, they carry their local cook with them to each tournament they go to.
Proving testament to the fact was none other than the team’s manager Didar Singh, who represented India at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the first from Sarsa to play for the country.
Didar is decked from head to toe in a white kurta pajama and turban. “It’s a price you pay to be the best. Every kid who comes to the academy knows what he is getting into. We don’t compromise here. The players can’t play in their kacchas but we make sure they wear them under the shorts. Our cook, Gurdev Singh, has been with us since 2000. We don’t even have eggs. Our diet is full of milk and ghee,” said Singh.
It was the 1975 World Cup triumph that led Thakur Udhay Singh, now head of the sect, to promote the game in the village. A year later, the Namdhari XI was formed with a training centre built at the village school. Since then, a youngster, after honing his basic skills at the village academy, is shifted to Namdhari’s centre of excellence at Bhaini Sahib in Ludhiana, which boasts of an astro-turf and a sports hostel.
Gurcharan Singh is the team coach but he isn’t just that. The 30-year-old former India national was also present Indian team captain Sardar Singh’s batch mate at the Ludhiana academy.
“Hockey in Sarsa generates as much craze as cricket in Mumbai. Almost every household has a kid or has had someone who’s played hockey.
“We don’t have to send our scouts to the schools. Parents in these 18 Namdhari villages know that the likes of Sardar, Gurmail and Malak have started young and have gone all the way to playing at Bhaini Sahib. What else do the parents want? We pick kids from Class six and take care of all their needs. They don’t have to pay a single penny,” said Gurcharan.
Bhagat Singh Dhillon, at 22, may be one of the youngest in the team. But having been enrolled as a 12-year-old at Baini Saheb, he counts himself as the most experienced.
“We don’t have to come to Mumbai and play in big tournaments to learn things like team spirit and family. Staying at the Namdhari academy for years helps us develop deep rooted comaraderie.
“That’s why it’s important to start young and stay together. It makes a big difference on the turf. The academy back home has a huge gallery where you see pictures of Sardar and all the players who played for India. As a kid, there was nothing more that I could ask for,” said the full-back.
With the side playing their first game against Abhi Foundation on Saturday, Didar said he can’t wait to see his side display their “Punjabi aggressiveness”. “The way we train makes sure there is a fire in the belly. We train three hours in the morning, three hours in the evening. Then, we have the strict diet and dress code. All these things instill a lot of discipline in the boys.
“That’s a reason why you see so many players from north India represent the country. The way we train makes sure there is a fire in the belly. That’s why the boys aren’t sleeping at the MHAL hostel and are here watching the team that they will face in two days’ time,” added the 52-year-old.
Players from Namdhari XI to play for India: Didar Singh Sr, Harpal Singh, Sardar Singh, Didar Singh, Malak Singh, Gurmail Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Shivender Singh, Ajmer Singh, Daljit Singh, Nanak Singh, Avtar Singh, Kabul Singh, Raghubir Singh
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