Stickwork Gurbux Singh

The past few days have been nightmarish, to say the least. Ever since we self-destructed in Chile, having failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time, the country has been brooding over the tragedy in a way as if we have lost something deeply rooted in our soul.

Cricket may now be the face of Indian sports but people have always had a soft corner for hockey. That we had been the world champions, that we were once the undisputed kings in the Olympics, that we had set the benchmark for others to follow — all this had given us a sense of identity.

It is from that sense of superiority and pride has emanated our reaction to Joaquim Carvalho & Co.’s catastrophic campaign in the South American country.

As a result, the whole country is still baying for K.P.S. Gill’s removal and wants to hold the Indian Hockey Federation accountable. Let me put such an emotional response in the perspective. Since almost three decades, we have not reached the semi-finals in either the World Cup or the Olympics. Hockey has also been downgraded by the government from priority list A to list B.

And however a cliché it may sound, we can’t help but accepting the truth that we lost our sting with the advent of astroturf. As the game has evolved towards a more professional approach, European countries have taken the centre stage, tactically, technically and temperamentally and we have been simply swept aside.

When we boast of having 25-30 astroturfs in the country, Holland have 300 astroturfs. I’ve also read recently that by the next year, they are planning to install 700 more astroturfs. Well, it says it all. When a tiny nation like Holland are investing so much into infrastructure, we always find it difficult to catch up with them.

Skill is needed but this is not the one and only quality to challenge the European powerhouses. There’s a good lesson to learn from the way Holland are planning to develop the game.

Considering all this, the disaster in Chile was always waiting to happenWe had had a similar experience when we failed to make the Asian Games semi-finals also for the first time, in Doha.

I still believe everything is not lost. It’s high time that we made the most of the opportunities coming our way in the next couple of years.

India are slated to host the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup in 2010 and these two tournaments could provide us with the platform to stage our revival. Let us bury the past and make the future.

Ric Charlesworth’s role in this process will be important. Instead of debating over how he could be used and in what capacity, we must make a serious effort to use his experience and expertise in every spectrum of the game.