Balwant Kapur memorial hockey from January 5

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 5

The 16th edition of All India Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament will going start from January 5 and conclude on January 12.

The tournament is held every year for Mata Parkash Kaur Cup. The tournament is held for boys (U-19) at Burlton Park. Sardar Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament and Mata Parkash Kaur Cup’, these are not only the names that are associated with a particular championship, but the names are a symbolism of togetherness of a family at present times and a story of six brothers who are keeping alive the memory of their parents for the past 14 years.

The tournament has seen several great moments.

One of them is when son of Dhyan Chand, Ashok Dhyan Chand had come to the city in the tournament as a chief guest. He had then said Dhyan Chand was a brand for Indian hockey and had set a level of the game all over the world back then and today Indian hockey is finding it hard to reach that level.

Ashok Dhyan Chand who is an Arjuna Awardee, had also said: “Hockey is now a lost game in the country.”

Sharing some of the great memories of his father, Dhyan Chand, he had shared emotionally, “There was a time when Adolf Hitler left the stadium when India won over Germany in 1936 Olympic games and England had not sent its hockey team for many years to participate in the Olympics just because they were wary of the fact that they would be defeated from India, we have come to this state, where we stand nowhere”.

Remembering the plight of his father even after attaining name in the country he had said my father would always restrict me to opt hockey as he always felt dejected that outside he was a legend for the country but his actual condition was pitiful because of Government’s indifferent attitude. All his life he worked like anything for us but did not say any word, but we knew everything.