The Magician and his Magic Stick

Many of you must have seen a magic show. Commanded by a bloke in black coat
along with a hat( probably as deep as Mariana Trench) on his head.
Of course, this hat has to be that much deep, otherwise how can he pull out a world of things from it and we call it magic.
Some of you might believe it and some of you might not. But there is another magician who never had a hat but performed all the magic with his stick. His name is Major Dhyan chand, the hockey wizard.
Same Major Dhayan chand, on whose name stands the venue of 2010 FIH World Cup. Major Dhyandchand was not just a player, he was a force in himself. A force which when on field, could never be penetrated by the opposition. Who can forget his Invincibles' XI which dominated the world of hockey?
When India was still under the rule of the Britishers, one of the only few things to cheer about was on the trot hockey gold Medals in '28 , '32 and '36 olympics. But today, Indian Hockey is marred by controversies.
Debates ranging from over foreign coach to the captain of the team to monetary benefits not being given to the players, the signs have not been very optimistic over last few years.

The position in which today Hockey India finds itself is not very appreciative.
I always felt that,what West Indies did to their cricket, is what India has done to its hockey.

In this whirlpool, one good thing that has hapened to India is, Hockey World Cup coming to our country.
Its a great time, when the love for the game is re-incarnated among fellow Indians and players get united forgetting all the grudges and leaving the past behind.

It is the time for revival of our hockey, which was nurtured by our great grand fathers and grand fathers.
And after watching India begin their campaign in style with a 4-1 victory over arch rivals, we can see it as a silver lining.
Consistent dominance for 70 mins was displayed by Indians. And as they say, luck favours the brave, two out of three penalty corners directed at India's den by one of the greatest drag flicker ,Sohail Abbas,ricocheted off the cross bar.
Though, its still a long way to go, but we all hope that ,it will be this time. Whatever may be the result of this tournament , a positive frame of mind can ensure a smile on that wizard, wherever he may be in this world.

Let stick prevail...Chak Dey!