Jasdev Singh, where are you?

The sad and sob story of Indian hockey is not all about on and off the field deeds of our players or officials, but it goes beyond that. The ongoing world Cup hockey Championship is in full-swing, even though the erstwhile hockey giants India and Pakistan have almost decimated by others, it is time to speak about somebody from own tribe who got raw deal from one and all. He is none other than Jasdev Singh, the greatest hockey commentator. He is the man who thrilled crores of Indian hockey fans during its salad days. Jasdev Singh is the man who narrated the highs and lows of Indian hockey and many epic matches. Always smiling and almost father-figure to generations of sports journalists and commentator.

Jasdev is sad and disappointed man these days. The reason is very understandable. Neither Radio nor any TV channel took his service for the hockey world cup.  While the smug bosses of Radio and TV channels refused to take his service, his own community ( of course, media) felicitated this genius along with Akhtar Rasool, one of the all time greatest Centre-half from Pakistan. On Friday at the Press Club, the well-known hockey journalists like Sandeep Nakai(AP),C.Rajsekhar Rao(DNA) Jassi Sidhu(Amar Ujala) with the active support of live wire Parvez Ahmed and Pushpendra Kulshrestha, the life and souls of Press club, hurriedly called some friends from media to felicitate them.

And more than the shocking performance of Indian side, after early promise,  those who were present at the press club, were in a state of shock that Jasdev Singh is not at all involved in the World Cup.

So far so, Akhtar Rasool was also heard saying that Jasdev Singh ji is equally well-known in Pakistan. S.Thayagrajan, inarguably the  best known hockey writer and scribe of India, too said that this is the tragedy of our times that Jasdev Singh is not invited by Radio or TV for commentary. But the man himself did not show any anger against anybody. He was looking cool and calm. Even during his brief but dignified thanks giving speech, he only talked the golden days of Indian hockey. His incisive, sometimes poetic, and always well-informed remarks formed the backdrop at nine Olympics, six Asian Games, eight hockey World Cups and numerous other sporting events besides occasions such as the Republic Day Parade and Independence Day.

In the box seat for most of the golden period of Indian hockey, Mr. Singh is perhaps the best person to comment on its decline and the resultant administrative spats that have been given precedence over the actual sport.

“Europeans are streets ahead of us in the game, mainly because it has changed so much. The shift to Astroturf has shifted the focus from stick artistry to brute force. It is the administration that is to be blamed. Professional coaching is the order of the day and one cannot continue to live in a shell of smugness or complacency in modern sport,” he said talking to some young journalists. Talking of his love for commentary, Jasdev says it was after listening to the commentary of Gandhiji’s last rites that he got attracted to the vocation. “My mother and friends thought it was just the impact of the event, but I was adamant and started to look for whatever opportunities were available, from announcing the forthcoming wrestling matches to the visit of a personality in the city.”

His popularity grew thick and fast and reached up to Rashtrapati Bhawan and the PMO. Jasdev says it was Rajiv Gandhi himself, who recommended his name for the Padma Shri. “We had worked closely during the 1983 Asiad Games.” Jasdev rates India’s victory in the1975 Hockey World Cup and Rakesh Sharma’s return from the moon as some of his lasting memories. “I was the only Indian present in Baiknour (in erstwhile USSR) when Rakesh returned from the moon. I not only interviewed him but also managed to bring a piece of the spacecraft with me.” The moot point is that when Tony Cozier and Richi Benuad, both in their 70s, still can do commentary, why we ignore our greats?  Will we ever change?

Vivek Shukla is senior journalist, who writes for national and international newspapers, magazines and portals.