When I was a child, hockey seemed very big- no I don’t remember the 1980 olympics. When India won their gold , I was still a toddler and wouldn’t have understood either hockey or Olympics. But I do remember My family tuning to the black and white tv for matches- tv yes but most often the radio. The excitement was evident when everyone held their breathe for the commentator to tell them whether the ball hit the net or all . The frenzy was unimaginable.
I remember the room resonating with shouts of ‘GOAL ‘ to cry with the commentator in unison .
I might not be able to recognise them but I do recall names like Zaffar Iqbal , Pargat singh, Mohammad shahid and than Dhanraj Pillai in the later years.
But somehow as we grew, hockey and the associated passion seemed to just vanish . We did have a hockey team in our school- and yes I never played any game . Always told the coach I had ‘ladies problem” to skip running .
But now while the basketball and cricket teams remain, I have barely heard of any of the relatives being part of the hockey team in school.
Now that india has got a hockey medal and has become the only country we’re both the men’s and women’s made it to the top four teams of the world- hope that changes . May be hockey will have a comeback.

The Indian men's hockey team defeated Germany 5-4 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medal match to end a long wait for India. The Manpreet Singh-led side emerged victorious to take home a bronze medal, thus ending India's 41-year-long wait to win another medal in hockey at the Olympics. Prior to this, India had last won an Olympic medal back in the year 1980, when they had clinched gold at the Moscow Games.
Women were not lucky but played excellent hockey . They might not have won the medal they won hearts.
Would this be enough or do we need more . Do share ur views.