Farewell to hockey queen

As youngsters in the serene 60s of Bengaluru, we often saw her alongside her two sisters cycling back after hockey practice while we were on our way to school. The trio always appeared energetic and impressive in their smart sports outfits, speeding down the quiet roads of Fraser Town.

The 60s were the golden years for Karnataka (then Mysore) women’s hockey. They were the national champions for eight successive years, a feat that is yet to be emulated. Hockey buffs and observers of the game will concur that much of the credit for those record victories must go to the trio, the Britto sisters - Elvera, Rita and Mae. Their deadly combination, stick work, ball moves and strategy often left their rivals dumbstruck.

The story goes that a large number of spectators turned up at the grounds to watch the trio in action. As schoolboys, we evinced only passing interest in these champs as our parents and elder siblings waxed eloquent about them. They often hit the headlines in the sports pages of newspapers with their photographs prominently.

Elvera, the eldest, captained the state and nation and was the recipient of the Arjuna award.

Sometime in the late 60s they decided to hang their hockey sticks and we forgot about them although occasionally we saw them in church on Sundays or speeding on their scooters. A few years later, the niece of the trio, was my classmate in college. We became good friends and over the years I met her aunts, the famous trio. We met at birthdays, weekends and various occasions and enjoyed a lot of laughs, leg-pulling and of course amusing yarns about their hockey days. Whenever I visited the home of the trio, I admired Elvera’s Arjuna award sitting proudly on their piano.

When I got a phone call about Elvera’s death, my heart sank a bit and I couldn’t imagine what it would mean to her two sisters. They were an inseparable triad, more friends than siblings. As they grieve her loss, I am sure they will celebrate her eventful and inspiring life of nearly 82 years.

Multi-talented, Elvera was not only a hockey star who shattered the glass ceiling six decades ago when Indian hockey was ruled by men but was a dedicated teacher, painter, swimmer as well as team manager, selector and advisor to women’s hockey. Needless to say, her contribution to sports and education is invaluable.

Never one to mince words, Elvera exuded a certain savoir-faire and stoicism, holding her own wherever she went. Elvera always converted a penalty stroke into a goal but this time it was a different stroke, unforeseen and if I may use a hockey term, it was sudden death.

With her passing away, we have lost one of our prized jewels. Her legacy will live on.