An attempt to delve into the labyrinth of Sansarpur’s hockey – in a bid to recapture its past Olympic glory – can be an emotionally draining experience. Once a celebrated nursery of Indian hockey, the village has failed to produce an Olympian in the last 35 years.
The Sansarpur story is a distressing one. The small village outside Jalandhar, once known for its dominance of the hockey circuit, seems to have vanished into thin air. The village, which once boasted of producing 14 Olympians (nine for India, four for Kenya and one for Canada), has become a forlorn chapter in the book of hockey. This legendary village has not had an Olympian since Ajit Pal Singh Kular in 1976. Only two players from the village have worn India colours since Ajit Pal, the latest being Ravipal Singh, who has been in and out of the Indian side since 2005.
Sansarpur has made a unique contribution to Indian hockey. No other place in the world can claim the dominance this small village once had in the sport. Interestingly, all 14 Olympians belong to one clan – the Kulars – and come from the same street in the village. Apart from their Olympic medals, they have four gold and eight silver medals from the Asian Games to their credit.
The village, which once produced stalwarts such as Udham Singh, Balbir Singh and Ajit Pal Singh, has been out of the picture for a long time.
According to Col (retd) Balbir Singh, who represented India at the 1968 Olympics, there are many reasons for this. The biggest is the government’s apathy towards the game in the village. “The village can regain its past glory if plans to nurture talent and provide proper training at the grassroots level are put into practice by the government (both state and Central) instead of being reduced to talk,” says the Olympic bronze medallist.
“A village with a glorious hockey history does not have a synthetic turf. Forget about a turf, we don’t even have a field of our own. The youngsters practise on two fields provided to us by the Army. Even the players are disheartened by the way the government treats them. The players have lost all interest in the game because of the government’s constant neglect,” adds Col Balbir.
He says, with a wry smile, that he wrote several letters to sports ministers at the Centre, including Uma Bharti, Sukhdev Dhindsa and the late Sunil Dutt, requesting them to install an artificial turf in the village, but nothing happened.
“I have also tried to explain it to Punjab chief ministers Prakash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh, but no response has come from anyone so far. We have the talent in our village but no infrastructure. We have even appealed to the authorities concerned to give us the Army land on lease, and we would arrange for the turf from our own sources. But even this has not worked,” said the Olympian.
Apart from this, the stalwarts feel that a lack of support and jobs is a big hindrance. “In the absence of jobs and incentives, youngsters’ enthusiasm for the game is diminishing day by day. Most of them either go abroad or opt for careers other than hockey. It’s no longer a passion,” adds Col Balbir.
But have the Olympians themselves done anything to motivate the youngsters, given that none of them lives in the village now? Col Balbir accepts the point. “Yes, it’s a fact we cannot deny. Though we have been doing our bit, it’s not enough. At present, all of us live away from our village, and there has been no inspiration for the youngsters since the death of Udham Singh a few years ago,” he said.
Pargat Singh, the former India hockey captain and Punjab’s Director of Sports, feels it is because of the association that this famed village no longer finds a mention in Indian hockey. “The whole system has deteriorated. The interest that everyone once had in hockey is nowhere to be seen. A shortage of funds has led the players and the associations to lose interest in the game. The local body needs to do a lot to uplift the game. The hierarchy that was followed earlier is not seen any more. The jobs at the club and district level have become honorary, and no one is interested in honorary jobs in today’s world. So, to uplift the game in Sansarpur, the local body has to buck up and find ways to generate funds so that the players’ interests are looked after,” says Pargat.
However, Ajit Pal Singh feels that a lack of facilities cannot be cited as the reason for the decline of hockey in his village. “Hockey as a whole has slumped in the country. We cannot blame a lack of good infrastructure for the decline of hockey in Sansarpur. Even when we played, we never had the infrastructure, but we still played and excelled. The main reason for this slump is the players’ diminishing interest. Youngsters nowadays have a lot of options. Earlier, we never had any option; we had to play hockey. Youngsters want to do something that earns them money, but we all know that hockey does not pay. Another reason for the decline is the absence of grassroots hockey. The amount of hockey played at the grassroots level has to increase if the game is to be revived in the country,” added the Olympian.
Ravipal, the only player from the village in the present Indian squad, agrees. “Yes, I am very proud to come from a village with such an illustrious reputation. Earlier, every child in my village was keen to wield the stick. We have had so many great players, such as Ajit Pal Singh, Col Balbir Singh, Tarsem Singh and many others. But now hockey is waning in popularity. Young people are more interested in professions that earn them money. Hockey as a career is no longer on their list of priorities,” says Ravipal.
Whatever the reason, it is painful to see Sansarpur’s hockey going to the dogs. A village that once defined and refined the game, and even lent it a touch of divinity, is today in danger of falling off the nation’s hockey map. It is time the government, the Indian Hockey Federation and hockey lovers woke up to give this unique hockey bastion a new lease of life.
Olympians from Sansarpur who represented India
- Col Gurmit Singh Kular – 1932
- Udham Singh Kular – 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964
- Gurdev Singh Kular – 1956
- Darshan Singh Kular – 1964
- Balbir Singh Kular – 1964, 1968
- Col Balbir Singh Kular – 1968
- Jagjit Singh Kular – 1964, 1968
- Tarsem Singh Kular – 1968
- Ajit Pal Singh Kular – 1968, 1972, 1976
Olympians from Sansarpur who represented Kenya
- The late Hardial Singh Kular – 1968, 1972
- Hardev Singh Kular – 1956, 1960
- Jagjit Singh Kular – 1968
- Harvinder Singh Kular – 1988
Olympian from Sansarpur who represented Canada
- Bindi Singh Kular – 2000
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
