How Odisha became the capital of Indian hockey

There are 17 astro-turf pitches to provide wings to young aspirants' dreams

Birsa Munda hockey stadium. Credit: PTI Photo

Every morning and evening of the week, scores of starry-eyed young boys and girls turn up at each of the 17 astro-turf pitches to provide wings to their dreams. Sundargarh district in Odisha may be one of the more backward districts in the state but it's rich in hockey infrastructure and richer in hockey culture.

Many families in this tribal-dominated part of the state may not have proper roofs over their heads, but their kids have access to state-of-the-art facilities to hone their hockey skills. Skeptics may question the need to spend crores of rupees on sports infrastructure when people are struggling to meet both ends, but the local populace here isn't complaining.

Amit Rohidas’ face swells with great pride when you ask him about Rourkela co-hosting the ongoing FIH World Cup with Bhubaneswar.

“Dreams have turned into reality," says the Indian hockey team's vice-captain. "When I was a small boy, I hoped one day kids from my district would get to play on astro-turf pitches. Now, not just astro-turf but Rourkela boasts of a world-class stadium which has caught the attention of the hockey world. I can’t be any prouder or happier,” Rohidas tells DH, grinning from ear to ear.

Rohidas hails from one of the villages in Sundargarh district where Rourkela is located. Dubbed the cradle of Indian hockey for producing around 80 India internationals including greats like current Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, Sundargarh district surprisingly didn’t have great hockey infrastructure until the swanky new Birsa Munda Stadium came up earlier this month. While some schools did have grass pitches, most kids in the tribal dominated villages would start playing the game on dusty grounds with sticks made out of bamboo and balls of tattered clothes.

It's not the case anymore now, post the December 2020 Christmas gift by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Taking everyone by surprise on Christmas Eve, he announced that Odisha would be building a brand new hockey stadium in Rourkela that would host a World Cup. The cherry on the cake was offered later when he announced an ambitious project to build 17 artificial pitches in various hamlets of Rourkela. While the stadium, which has a 225-room hotel facility in the vicinity with five-star rating, was built at a cost of around Rs 486 crore, the 17 pitches have cost the exchequer Rs 200 crore.

“We are investing a lot in all the sports but hockey gets the limelight because it is the most popular sport in Odisha,” R Vineel Krishna, the commissioner-cum-secretary, sports and youth services department and special secretary to the chief minister, tells DH. “It’s not just pitches but we are planning to build around 25 Hockey Training Centres in Odisha itself. I don’t think any state in India can claim to have so many pitches or done this much for the benefit of hockey.

“Kids here in Odisha play the sport from a very young age but they start on mud or grass and when they get called up for national camps, they struggle to adapt on the artificial pitches. The transition is very difficult. Kids as young as six or seven years in European countries get to play on synthetic turf and then face no transitional issues when they graduate to the national level.

“We want our kids here also to avail the same benefits. We are partnering with Tata and employing skilled coaches in all the training centres. Kids of today, unlike the past, won’t have to struggle at all. They will get the best of facilities and good coaches to learn the craft. Even competition wise, the government is intending to host a lot of tournaments,” he adds.

The struggle Krishna is talking about is still evident in Sundargarh where many families have to struggle to make ends meet. Barring working for steel plants, mining firms and doing other odd jobs, it’s an everyday battle to ensure food is on the table. Hockey is their only source of joy and hope of a secured life.

“Literally every player from Sundargarh region is from a poor family," recalls Rohidas. "All of them had to battle several odds throughout their life to achieve their dream of playing for the country. Take my case for example. When I was a kid I didn’t have a hockey stick as my family didn't have the money to afford one. So I would make one using bamboo sticks.

“In fact, this was the scenario for all of us. Even balls were made by us. We would do that because playing hockey was our only source of enjoyment. As 5, 6 and 7-year olds, we never thought of it as a profession. We just wanted to play hockey because everyone did. But unlike rich kids we didn’t have easily available equipment. These 17 pitches are a life-changer for all the kids now. They now don’t have to go through the same ordeal like me or my predecessors did. Even some European kids don’t have access to such facilities at such a young age.”

Apart from investing heavily in hockey locally, Odisha has also been contributing nationally too. It renewed its deal as the principal sponsor of the national team — both men and women — until 2033, something which even corporates are wary about considering how inconsistent the performances of the men’s team are. They’ve also hosted nine FIH events, including two back to back World Cups, since starting out with the 2014 Champions Trophy. It’s a feat which no other state in India can boast about.