'Hockey runs in our blood'

Promising lot

The phrase ‘A diamond in the rough’ holds true for the hockey players of the Karnataka XI team, who are just a few steps away from reaching their dream of being recognised sports persons.

With the women’s national team qualifying for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, both the men and women’s team have a lot to say. And now that Hockey Karnataka has announced its second edition of Bengaluru Cup, the enthusiastic players talk about their love for the sport.

 Somaiah KP, one of the hockey players, says, “I started playing hockey because of my father. He was a hockey player, and that was the biggest inspiration for me to take up this sport.”

Thimmanna PL, another star player, says, “We are all from a hockey background; our fathers were hockey players and they always encouraged us to take up this sport.” To which, Nithin Thimmaiah adds, “Hockey runs in our blood!”

Regular work outs and eating right is their mantra for staying healthy and active. “Eating healthy and drinking lots of water is the best you can do for your body. Regular workouts, following a perfect diet and avoiding junk food help one’s body,” says Aiyappa.
Though they are passionate about the sport, not all of them are full-timers. “Whenever Somaiah and I get time, we go to work! Office is our part-time job and playing hockey is a passion,” says Thimmanna with a laugh. And even the spare time they have is spent pursuing this passion.

Aiyappa says, “I spend most of my time practising the game. Apart from that, I work out and watch the previous matches.” But other prefer relaxing with friends and family.

 “I spend the free time I get with my family, catching up with friends and doing all the things I missed out on when I was away,” says Thimmanna.

The women — Teena Ramesh, Muthamma Ganapathy, Sandhya HP and Rashmy Poovaiah — have their share to add as well. Talking about the various facets of hockey, sports in India and the opportunities available for women, they say that their biggest inspiration is their family.

 “The time format of hockey does not inspire many people to follow the game, and makes it less popular among the crowd. But if we want to climb up the ladder and reach a certain level where everyone shows interest in the national sport, we need the support and encouragement of the people around us,” says Teena.

Muthamma, another star woman player, shares her views on why women should take up playing sports, “Not just hockey. In fact, any sport makes a girl healthy, strong, mentally aware and independent as an individual. They can achieve anything and become fearless.”

 On the future of sports among women in India, Teena adds, “The future of sports among women looks bright. The number of women players is increasing in many sports. There were only 14 girls when I joined our hostel, but now the number has gone up to 40, which is a great increment. These girls are completely into sports and they are determined to fulfill their dreams.”

 Thimmanna also comments on the future of hockey in India, “The future of hockey seems bright; we have improved a lot in international rankings, and we have been doing consistently well in various international stages like The Asian Games. We are the first team to qualify for the Rio Olympics.”

Though hockey is our national sport, cricket gets a larger platform. Sharing his views on this dismal scenario, Thimmanna says, “The format of both the games are different — while cricket can go on for the entire day, hockey is just a matter of an hour, so by the time people get in the mood and start to get involved, the match is almost over.”