Most people consider field hockey as one of the Indian national games; well, this is far from true. As such, India has never stated the national sport while the regard for the game has been evident in history. Let us try to look at how hockey origin is regarded as an Indian national sport and what is its national game.
The Myth of Hockey as India’s National Game
Hockey sport is so embedded in India that it is difficult to imagine the evolution of the game without this country’s involvement touching it all. In fact, India did make a mark in the early decades of the 20th century hockey leagues as well. Earlier in international hockey it was India that was most successful.
She won eight Olympic gold medals from 1928 to 1980. Some of the best hockey players in the world have emerged, like Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr., and Dhanraj Pillai, and hence, the game has found a place in Indian sports history.
But the fact that hockey is the national game of India is exceptional at best. Still, few people are aware that the government has never officially named hockey as the national sport of India, even though a majority of Indians are engaged in the game.
No Official National Sport
In answer to an RTI application filed by a school teacher from Maharashtra asking the government about the declaration date of hockey as the national game of India, the answer was crystal clear. No, India has not declared any particular sporting event its national game.
“The government of India has not declared any sport/game as the national game of the country. The government works on the ‘no national game’ principle, focusing on the development of every sport, not giving official status to anyone.
Why Hockey Is Considered the National Game
Image Credit: fairgaze.com
Despite the fact that this game has never been officially recognized as the national game of India, it is regarded as the national game of India. The causes for such perception might be attributed to its past performance and achievement, where the game created a lot or enormous pride in the nation. During the hockey’s glorious time from 1928 to 1956 India had won six Olympic gold medals consecutively. The team’s performance in the field presented hockey as a game of national pride.
The game of hockey also shares its legacy in India with stellar contributions from Major Dhyan Chand, who is often described as the “Father of Indian Hockey.” His contributions are remembered annually on August 29, which is celebrated as the National Sports Day in India because it is his birthday.
India’s Hockey Legacy
India’s hockey—the most victorious team in the Olympic space, steps with eight golds. The revelations made through the performance of the team have inspired generations of players and fans alike. But despite this glorious past, hockey has not been officially declared as the national game.
So, even after the Indian men’s hockey team had won and clinched a bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the demand for declaring hockey as India’s National Game continues to struggle. There were also demands for a legally binding act that could potentially ascertain the crises that fall under the term ‘exploitation’ and pave the way for taking stringent actions against them. A public interest litigation had been filed in the Supreme Court to make the central government award the game the status, but the petition was rejected.
Government’s Stand on Promotion of Sports
The Indian government views sports through this perspective: it would want to promote different disciplines rather than just promoting one game. Programs, including Khelo India, were launched in a bid to promote the participation of people in different sporting activities at the grassroots level in a bid to discover talents in various fields.
Thus, it can be said that there is quite a diverse sports profile of India, where cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling and several other games feature in the sports calendar of the nation. Of them, cricket gets a huge boost, and owing to the Indian cricket team’s performance in the international circuits, it is the sport that enjoys the maximum fan following.
However, similar to hockey, even cricket has not got the official tag of being a national sport.
The absence of an official national game is a sheer reflection of India’s dedication to the promotion of all sports equitably. The government’s priority towards nudging its citizens towards multiple sports and less towards any particular game coincides with its overall greater visions of gender inclusion and overall talent development.
References:
www.mykhel.com
fairgaze.com/fgnews/hockey-the-national-game-of-india_
www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge
olympics.com/en/news/india-national-game-sport