Lucknow: One can safely bet on this. Poke any hockey aficionado about the state of the game in
Uttar Pradesh and the conversation is bound to veer around one man -KD
Singh
`Babu'. His towering presence in Indian hockey -for the first two decades as a player and the latter two as a coach and administrator -brought in all that was good for the game.
Dhyan Chand
, a generation older, was of course the wizard.
Babu
, however, was like
Albus Dumbledore
, the charismatic headmaster of
Hogwarts
, who groomed hockey talent under his fatherly tutelage like no one else. Plus he had his own ways of getting things done -his steel frame had dollops of magnet. A legion of pupils who have trained under him rue his untimely departure at the age of 57. “His mere presence would not only have ensured that there was no compromise with coaching, but also he won't have allowed Europeans to change rules for their benefit. Such towering influence he would wield,“ recalls Olympian Sujit
Kumar
, adding, “he was probably the first coach who used blackboard to explain the game.But, he could make the difference because he was as strong on the field.“
His passion for the game, no doubt, drove
Kunwar Digvijay Singh
`Babu' to nurture the game like a gardener in his home state. But, he could do so also because he was master of his craft. Till date he remains the only Indian to have received the Helms Trophy after being adjudged `world's best player' in 1953.
Arguably India's best right-in ever, he spearheaded India to two consecutive golds in Olympics -London in 1948 and
Helsinki
in 1952. He was vicecaptain in the first and captain in the second. It is said Babu had been nominated captain for the 1948 side as well.However, he not only withdrew himself, but also suggested that his senior
Kishen Lal
should get the honour.
After a fairytale debut as a 15-yearold from Lucknow Youngmen's
Association
team at a tournament in Delhi in 1937, where he stole the limelight by his magical stick work against Olympian Mohammad
Hussain
, playing for the rival side, his playing career lasted till 1959. After this, he devoted his life to coaching and grooming youngsters.
He was instrumental in the setting up of NIS, Patiala, and was a member of All India Council of Sports. Besides, he set up the team of
Indian Airlines. But his biggest gift, of course, was
Sports
Hostels at Lucknow and
Meerut
and then
Sports College
in Lucknow. The two institutions produced over 60 international players but after his demise, lost the way .
The hostel came up in late 70s and would be run with an unmatched passion. “For him, his students were dearer than us family members,“ recalls his son
Vishwa Vijay Singh
. “He would be there with them all the time, to ensure that they get best of food and facilities. Despite being sports director, he was on the field every day to watch hostel students practise. He would be accompanied by his peers, all experts of various positions, who would keep a watch on errors and get them rectified then and there,“ he says. “It could have been only possible with mastery of the game and indomitable courage and spirit,“ says his nephew
Raghvendra
, adding, “It is this spirit with which he continued to coach players in the sports hostel.He used to sit for hours watching players and then guided them on the moves, whether or not they were playing right, or what they could do to improve. No one has tried to take Babu's legacy forward. The state of the game is dismal in UP today“.
“Being Babu's son, it's with great pain that I witnessed India's performance at Olympics,“
Vishwa Vijay
said, adding, “And all of it is not the government's fault. Under chief minister
Akhilesh Yadav, much is being done too. But, though the government can do much more for the game, the need here is more of commitment to the game, like Babu had. There is a need for a good coach, who visits different parts of the state to spot and nurture talent, to groom players to win. Let's hope the next Olympics bring some good tidings“.
And then going down memory lane, he recalls: “Do you know, he had spotted Olympian
Syed Ali
at a local tournament played at
Nainital
's famous flat ground. It was his habit of watching local matches and picking the best of talent for training.“
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