Metro Plus
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
The determined and the disciplined
|
HOCKEY The Namdharis are determined to carve a special place for themselves in the sport
|
PHOTO: SATISH H
INSTITUTION The Namdharis have contributed greatly to the hockey scene
They do things differently. They don't stay in hotels, always cook their own food and follow the five guiding principles of Sikhism. They are the members of the Namdhari sect. Their team took part in the National Hockey Championship that was held in Hyderabad recently.
The members of this hockey team, do not wear shorts for the matches but sport traditional `kachas'. And, they are very strict vegetarians too!
Mostly living around Ludhiana and Hirsa (Haryana), the Namdharis have been contributing to the national sport - hockey - in a big way. They have even purchased an astro-turf pitch from Holland for Rs. 45 lakhs. They practice regularly on it in Ludhiana before participating in any event.
They are determined to carve a special place for themselves in the world of sport. Harpal Singh, Didar Singh and Suvinder Singh, who represented India at one time or the other, are products of Namdharis XI. Do they find any difficulty in training for the big events? "Certainly not," says coach Didar Singh Sr, the Barcelona Olympian. He stresses that his players have wonderful levels of fitness and skills. The players who took part in the nationals stayed with of Surat Singh - a fellow Namdhari who lives in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.
V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
|
