This is the first post and an example of objective of this blog !
At the time of writing, India is ranked no. 1 in T2O Cricket world ranking !
Cricket vs other sports is a hot topic of discussion in India. And most of them end with a conclusion that Government and media should promote other games too. I would not want to go in those discussions and rather would stress on cricket & hockey. Game of people of India & National game of India.
Please mind that I am not comparing them as 'Games' but as trend in India. So no comparison of mechanics of games.
For those who are not from India, Cricket is the most popular sport here. If you pass any ground, tract, parks, there is high probability that you will find children playing cricket. Be it countryside or any urban city. You ask any primary school child about cricket and he can tell you about the game, approaching matches, Indian players and also many players of other teams. Children in high school would also know all rules in detail, what cricket ball is made of, the safety equipments and proper mechanics of the game. And anyone older would know almost everything. In class 9th or 10th there is even a chapter in history subject- "History of Cricket".
In short cricket is "Game of People of India".
Now what is Hockey? Ask this question to a primary school child, he would reply - "National Game of India". "Ok and do you play hockey?". "No I dont know how to play !". ''Do you know when is world cup of hockey?". "Erm... No...". "Its next month don't forget to watch".
Ask a high school student, he might know much more but its high chance, he wouldn't have played it at all. There is usually a mindset that hockey is dangerous, its ball is hard. Someone can get hurt badly. Well let me tell you, if you have same impression, hockey ball is "softer" than cricket ball. The goalkeeper is the safest person in team if he wears safety kit. A batsman is equally prone to get hurt as is a hockey player, if both of them are without safety kit.
There are only a few people in India who know Indian Hockey players, forget other team's player. (as compared to cricket). Very few would know the basic fouls- Carrot, Short-D penalty, long-D penalty, free hit, etc.
Ask a high school student, he might know much more but its high chance, he wouldn't have played it at all. There is usually a mindset that hockey is dangerous, its ball is hard. Someone can get hurt badly. Well let me tell you, if you have same impression, hockey ball is "softer" than cricket ball. The goalkeeper is the safest person in team if he wears safety kit. A batsman is equally prone to get hurt as is a hockey player, if both of them are without safety kit.
There are only a few people in India who know Indian Hockey players, forget other team's player. (as compared to cricket). Very few would know the basic fouls- Carrot, Short-D penalty, long-D penalty, free hit, etc.
The situation becomes worse when someone who has interest in hockey. It would be very difficult for him to find any company! Either his interest will die out or he would start hating other games or both!
The Government and media can change the scenario but to make it popular, work has to be done at grass root level!
First and foremost, hockey should be available in schools and colleges as one of the choice. This will give students exposure to the sport and provide opportunities to excel in it. Proper safety kits for hockey and presence of a coach for hockey will help in healthy matches. More inter-school matches, recognition of the participants, etc will leverage the game in society and then only Hockey can be a true national game of India.
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