Following India’s bronze medal victory in Hockey at the Olympics today, a video surfaced on the internet.
It was that of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s family members, who were watching the match live. In that video, I saw the whole of India.
I saw a little kid, overjoyed at the accomplishment.
I saw a middle-aged woman trying to fight back tears.
And I saw two elderly people, holding their chests and praying to God, unsure how to react to the situation.
The longing to see India win an Olympic medal in Hockey has been passed on from our grandparents to our parents and from our parents to us like generational wealth.
Like an heirloom kept in the farthest corner of the cupboard, like a section of land that doesn’t get rain.
We waited for so long, we forgot that we were waiting.
Until today.
The joy we feel right now is as much for remembering how badly we wanted to win, as it is for winning itself.
And how we wanted to witness the famous Indian domination from the 60s and the 70s, which had the potential of turning around any match in a matter of a few seconds.
In 41 years, this is the closest we have gotten to hold that kind of command, and this time it’s better for the sport, because this time, we have women standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men.
We have two outstanding Hockey teams representing us, which is nothing short of a privilege.
It is also a reason to be hopeful that things will only get better from this point.
That the performance of the teams will rekindle the country’s interest in the game, further motivating the players who completely deserve this kind of support.
One also hopes that more funding will pour in and steps will be taken to improve infrastructure for Hockey so that the athletes giving their best have things easier in comparison to how they are now.
And lastly, this will encourage more youngsters to take up the sport with confidence.
This is a good time for Indian Hockey, Tokyo Olympics has changed it all around. However, one shouldn’t forget that decades of dedicated effort has gone into making this happen.
The players who are fighting it out on the field have been through some really tough times, and the fact that they stuck around with the sole purpose of making us proud, is something we should not take for granted.
The victory today is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time. The wait has ended, the medal is ours, and all generations of Indians can sleep today with one less thing to yearn for. What a time it is for Indian sports!