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Saga of courage
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Wrong medical treatment brought Chennai-born Charles Cornelius' hockey career to an abrupt end
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Charles Cornelius receiving the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award from the President, A.P. J. Abdul Kalam
WHEN CHARLES Cornelius rose to receive the award of recognition — the Lifetime Dhyan Chand trophy — from President Abdul Kalam recently, the moment signalled the fulfilment of a dream for many a hockey enthusiast. Here was a player, a goal-keeper at that, a victim of a wrong medical treatment, a dedicated soul who knew nothing but hockey in his life, obtaining what he deserved to get years ago.
The life and times of Charles is a saga of courage, fortitude and sacrifice, laced with agony. An Olympic bronze, a World Cup silver and bronze, an Asian Games gold.... highlights of the illustrious career of a goal-keeper who was on the playing field for over 19 years since the then IG of Punjab and President of Indian Hockey Federation, Ashwini Kumar, spotted him as a student playing for the DAV College in Jalandhar. Though born in Chennai (Mylapore), Charles spent his boyhood years at the MB School in Pathankot, and then at the DAV College, Jalandhar, as his father was serving in the Army.
The days in the Police were memorable and momentous, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Prithipal Singh, Dharam Singh, Ajitpal Singh, Harmik Singh and Tarseem Singh. When Border Security Force branched away from the Punjab Police, under Ashwini Kumar again, Charles was the first choice goal-keeper not only for the unit but for the nation as well. For a long time, he was the only non-Sardarji player in the Punjab Police and BSF squads.
The Bombay International in 1969 brought Charles into international focus, and from then on, he donned the India colours at the Asiad in Bangkok (1970), the inaugural World Cup at Barcelona (1971), the Olympics in Munich (1972), the second World Cup at Amstelveen, and everything was fine before the Asiad at Teheran.
It was at this juncture that tragedy struck. A knee injury, which he and many others reckoned as a minor accident during the trials, proved a disaster. A wrong injection caused a catastrophe forcing a major knee surgery after gangrene had set in, as the needle used was not sterilised. In the end, the knee bone on both legs had to be removed, rendering the energetic goal-keeper a physical wreck. Conquering the physiological and psychological pain of such a devastating turn of fortunes, the indomitable Charles continued for a while with the Police, and with the patronage of Ashwini Kumar not available any more after the latter retired, Charles perforce had to quit.
A diploma at the NIS then shaped Charles into a coach, especially for goal-keepers, and ensured a placement in the Sports Authority of India in Chennai in 1980. He was actively associated with the preparation of the Indian teams for the Olympics and other international events till his retirement recently. In fact, he travelled last year with the Indian junior team for a four-nation tournament in Cairo where the team emerged victorious.
Like every passionate devotee of hockey, Charles wonders why India is unable to crawl back to the top notwithstanding the rich talent base. He was particularly pained by the inconsistent performance at the recent Champions Trophy in Amstelveen, despite the superb display against Pakistan. As a keen observer, Charles believes India is neither good in zonal marking or in the man-to-man format leading to reverses in the final quarter. "Else, how can a team concede four goals in seven minutes. There was neither zonal marking, nor man-to-man marking. Such things happen when positional play is abandoned," he observes.
It is a pity that an accomplished player and medal winner in Olympics, World Cup and Asiad remains unrecognised by the State Governments for a cash award which every medallist gets even for mediocre performances. "Neither the Punjab Government nor this State to which I belong by birth, has done anything for me, even though I am handicapped."
The anguish was unmistakable when Charles Cornelius said this. It is indisputable that Charles richly deserves a monetary reward from Punjab or Tamil Nadu, or perhaps both, for his contribution to hockey in India.
S. THYAGARAJAN
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