SUNIEL SHETTY tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that actors now want to make a difference to Hockey by taking up the stick in their hands. Did you agree to release Negi’s book because you are the ambassador for Hockey?
I decided to release Mir Ranjan Negi’s book Mir Ranjan Negi- From Gloom To Glory, which is a real life story of a sportsman’s triumph against all odds, not just because I am the ambassador to the game of Hockey but because Negi is a real life hero. In fact I’d call him a legend. I am glad that Negi has done his bit by writing this book to revive memories and bring back some of the lost glory to the sport of Hockey.
What do you think about the future of Hockey in India?
Though on one hand I’d not hesitate to state that it is sad but the bitter truth is that we have totally forgotten the only game which has fetched our country the gold medal, on the other hand, I also feel that definitely there is going to be a great future for Hockey in our country.
What is your appeal to the government to popularize the game of Hockey?
As far as cricket is concerned, the Indian Premiere League was a blend of government and private enterprise. I hope the government also comes forward to popularize the game of hockey too and the game becomes as popular as cricket has.
What is the foremost need to bring honor to the game?
I think the first and foremost thing that we should do to bring honor to the game is to imp rove the infrastructure at our disposal for the game. We should also see to it that the game is able to rise above politics of any kind
In what way has Chak De India helped the cause of Hockey?
Times immemorial we have had films which revolved around sports in India. Like Lagaan, Awwal Number, Hip Hip Hurray, Goal, Chak De India etc. However the best thing about Chak De India is that the film has actually acted like a chingari for Hockey. Chak De India was like national anthem for Hockey.
What is the after-effect of a film like Chak De India?
The major after-effect of the film is that actors nowadays want to make a difference to Hockey by taking up the stick in their hands even if they have not played Hockey any time in their lives earlier. We plan to have a celebrity Hockey match in Chandigarh.
How do you envisage reviving the interest in Hockey?
We should be able to create some icons in hockey too like in cricket. Only then will it be possible for us to bring back the crowds to the game. It is only when we are able to achieve this that hockey will be on par with cricket. As far as hockey is concerned, I feel we can only rise because corruption is no longer there in the game. Thanks to corruption and the betting scam, several including me had stopped watching cricket.
Can you elucidate?
The next time we form a body for hockey for the betterment of the game, it should comprise of a mixture of people like ex sportsmen and businessmen. It is sad that we do not experiment in Hockey like in cricket. It is high time that we combined masti and entertainment with hockey like in cricket with the 20: 20 and the IPL games.
–(SAMPURN)
