The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : An unsung service

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Sunday, Feb 08, 2009
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An unsung service

Vijay Lokapally

CHANDIGARH: A hockey poet in times when the game is struggling to make an impact may sound anachronistic, but Prem Shanker Shukla is convinced he has a role to play.

A coach by profession, he has won many a heart in the hockey fraternity with his wonderful work, which, sadly, has remained unsung.

Based at the Sports Authority of India Central Centre at Bhopal, Mr. Shukla is not a born poet. An incident in 2004 changed his outlook toward the game. From a teacher, he became a supporter of hockey. How? “By writing poems on the game,” he says.

Five years ago, Mr. Shukla was a coach posted at Allahabad and received an invitation from Vivek Singh. “A charity match had been organised in Varanasi to raise funds for his treatment. He was my pupil.” During the bus journey from Allahabad, Mr. Shukla wondered what gift he could give his beloved student who was dying of cancer.

Mr. Shukla pulled out a paper and penned a few lines on Vivek. His gift had taken an emotional shape. Written in Hindi, the poem left many in tears when it was recited through the public address system before the match. Mr. Shukla was himself moved and decided to indulge in this hidden talent that he had discovered by “accident.”

Mr. Shukla has coached a few internationals and is considered a dedicated servant of hockey. “I work at the grassroots level and I enjoy it immensely.” Through my poems I want to popularise the game. It pains me when people talk of hockey in derogatory terms,” says Mr. Shukla.

His next project is to publish a set of 100 poems in Hindi.

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