True Hero

I grew up seeing my father as being a very active person. Those were the days when names like multi tasking, wearing different hats etc did not exist. He had a very strenuous job which did not fit into the 9-5 category. He was in the Tamil Nadu Police Department and at most times was connected with the Intelligence wing. (While growing up, there have been days when we never got to see him.) Apart from his job, he always found time to read. Those who know him well will endorse as to what a voracious reader his is!! He also had time for sports which was his passion. Although his first priority was his job, I always think his first love was for the game of Field Hockey. Once the match season began, he would be out of the house early in the morning for the practice session. The matches would be mostly played during the weekends. Since this was the time span before television had made its advent into Madras and India, we were totally in the dark as to how the game was played. Now when I think back my only grouse or shall I say an element of sadness is the fact that I never got to see my father play. I feel if he had had a son, he may have taken him. The reason why he did not take us could be that he thought that the environment was not right for his daughters. I regret that my mother had absolutely no interest in sports (read hockey).
If I remember right, my father played Hockey till the age of 50. He was the goal keeper and preciously a pretty good one at that. It was much later that I happened to read all the paper cuttings which he had with him. Somehow he had never thought it important to show it to us while we were in school and college. How people these days brag about achievements far less. Even now I get goose bumps when I think of some of the headlines in those cuttings. It was during one of these casual conversations, that I came to know that my father almost made it to the 1948 Indian Olympic Squad. He was chosen for the camp that was held in Bombay and spent time in the practice session. However since only one goal keeper could make it, my father was left behind. It was not in anyway because he was lesser off than the other player, but I think it was the hands of destiny that was responsible. I cannot imagine the disappointed he must have gone through, to think you are there and then to see that you have not been chosen. India as an independent nation won the gold in Field Hockey for the 1st time in the 1948 London Olympics. How my father would have loved to be on that winning team. The finals were played against Great Britain and we beat them 4-0. Within a year of India’s independence, that must have been a double victory.
I have never heard him speak with remorse or hatred against anyone as far as that incident goes. However I am sure that an element of sadness will surely be there. If I have some knowledge or interest in sport, I owe it all to my father. With both my sisters being away, I get the privilege to watch with him most of the sporting events on TV. Being a disciplinarian and a stickler for time, when we see some shift in his timings, we could be sure that there is some match happening in some corner of the world and that he is getting ready to watch the same. My father is now 82 plus, however he continues to be very active and has the same zest. There are a whole lot of things we could have picked up from him, which I must sadly say, we have not. Long live his tribe!!!!
Olympic Gold or not, he has always behaved as a true sportsman and will remain a TRUE HERO as far as his daughters go. I am sure that both my sisters will endorse my point of view.