Hockey among tribes of Odisha

The British army and the Christian missionaries popularised hockey in India. Christian proselytising zeal in English schools, army barracks, seminaries and churches exposed the tribals to the sport. In Odisha, the earliest reference to hockey matches goes back to Kesramal of Sundargarh in the 1860s. The priests and the tribal converts played hockey after the Sunday prayers. The tribal players were appreciated for their natural speed, agility and stamina. Friendly matches involving four and five hamlets were held. Khasi Cup developed as an intra-village tribal hockey tournament. Goat and cockerel were the live trophy for the winner and the runners-up, respectively. However, no such tournaments were ever held for females. The Khasi Tournament continues. 

After independence, the Sports Authority of India launched initiatives to scout sporting talents from the grassroots level in the country. Tribal players from remote rural Sundergarh were identified for professional training. The State Sports Hostel, Panposh and the SAIL Hockey Academy, Rourkela, were set up in 1985 and 1992 to nurture hockey in Sundergarh. The Odisha government offered welfare schemes for its athletes. Odisha hosted the Hockey World Cup in 2018 and 2023. Hitherto, Indian hockey teams have quite a few tribal athletes from Odisha. 

How does hockey contribute to any social change and alternation of the indigenous tribal identity of Sundargarh, Odisha? Erstwhile, the tribes were hunter-gatherers or subsistence agriculturalists and traded through the barter system. Now, they adopt a middle-class identity. The Indian government has employment provisions for the athletes, ensuring 5% reservation for ‘Group C’ and ‘D’ posts. The Department of Personnel and Training appoints meritorious athletes under Sports Quota based on their playing career and sports achievements. Odisha government reserves 1% of posts for athletes across government departments and PSUs on merit. ‘Group B’ and ‘C’ category jobs have been reserved in state government and PSUs for meritorious athletes. Odisha police have a provision of direct entry into Group B’ and ‘C’ posts.

How hockey contributes to indigenous tribe’s political empowerment? – Post-retirement, the hockey players of Sundergarh join politics. They contribute to tribal empowerment and outreach programmes. Dilip Tirkey, former Indian hockey defender and Olympian, became a Rajya Sabha MP and worked towards increasing the National Sports Development Fund. Since 2013, he has organised the Gramin Olympiad Hockey Tournament in Sundargarh to give a confidence-building platform to budding talents. Salima Tete, the AHF Athletes Ambassador, represents Indian athletes internationally. She promotes awareness about rights, welfare, and advocacy, thus positively impacting tribal athletes’ lives from Sundergarh.

How does the Odisha Government contribute to the indigenous tribe’s hockey engagement? – Odisha organised the Hockey World Cup in 2018, the FIH Men’s Series Finals and Olympic Hockey Qualifiers in 2019, the FIH Pro League in 2020, and the Hockey World Cup in 2023. Hence, a high endurance and spirited sports culture is achieved. #AbBasHockey and #HeartBeatsForHockey campaigns with Birendra Lakra, Dipsan Tirkey, P R Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh in Hockey World Cup 2018 have put Odisha on the sports map of the world. In 2021, Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium was laid down in Rourkela. The Hockey World Cup 2023 was held. Odisha government advertised hockey and ancillary cultural natural tourism as ‘India’s Best Kept Secret’. Odisha is revamped into the ‘Sports Capital of India’. 

Hitherto, hockey is central to Naveen Patnaik’s political strategy. The tribal population is the famous vote bank. ST-reserved constituencies are the bull’s eye of the electoral campaign. Hence, the invisible hand of ‘cool capitalism’ through hockey shifts the tribal discourse in Sundergarh, Odisha.

(Ananya Dungdung is an independence researcher Sreemoyee Sarkar is an assistant professor, Christ (Deemed to be)  University, Bengaluru)