They say you either pick up a gun or a hockey stick as a child in Coorg. For almost every other family from the lush hills has a member either in the armed forces or pushing for a spot in the Indian hockey side.

In a sport that has traditionally been dominated by players from the North — notably the assembly lines from Punjab — serene and picturesque Coorg holds its own as a prolific south-side outpost. A Coorgi player’s silken skills, silent yet strong aggression and technique combined with a meticulously planned fitness regime set him apart from the rest. From the last generation’s pillars like Arjun Halappa and BP Govinda to modern-day stick wielders such as VR Raghunath and SV Sunil, the life-support systems of the Indian national teams have come from Kodagu’s martial clans.

Now, for the first time since 1989, as many as 10 players from Coorg are in contention for spots in the national team. Hockey India announced 48 probables for next month’s Asia Cup earlier this week and the Coorgis make for over one-fifth of the longlist. Of the 10, eight are strikers — MK Muddappa, Nikin Thimmaiah, PL Thimmanna, MG Poonacha, Nithin Thimmaiah, Pradhan Sommanna, SK Uthappa and SV Sunil. The list also includes midfielder MB Aiyappa and a defender VR Raghunath. The promising thing about this is that most are below 25 and are therefore at the perfect age for India’s preparations for the 2016 Olympics. In fact, at the last Nationals 68 Coorgis turned out for different teams.

It’s not new for Coorgis to find a place in the Indian squad. But it is intriguing that such a tiny region has produced almost a dozen players who have the potential to break into the Indian team at the same time. “A lot of credit for this goes to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bangalore. It has provided really good facilities to the players and it is also easily accessible. With the kind of infrastructure that is available, it isn’t surprising that players from this region are flourishing,” says former India captain Halappa, who is now a national team selector.

NORTH vs SOUTH

This leads us to the obvious question: does this indicate a shift in balance of power from the north to the south? Experts suggest otherwise. “I don’t see it as a case of south overtaking north. In fact, the two regions together now seem to control Indian hockey,” former India coach Harendra Singh says.

The Dronacharya Awardee makes a fair point. While players from the south are making rapid strides to break into the national team set-up, Punjab arguably continues to remain the nursery of Indian hockey. The academies that were set up during former India captain Pargat Singh’s regime as the state’s sports director have been reaping benefits. Pargat also ensured that the infrastructure across the state was spruced up and made open to youngsters. Today, Punjab produces the maximum number of players for the junior team, a fact that is reflected in the composition of the junior squad — almost 70 per cent of the members ofthe junior team for the European tour in May consisted of players from the north. In contrast, there was only one player from the south, a Coorgi, who was part of that tour.

At the senior level, though, the trend reverses. “A lot goes into grooming a young talent into India material. There’s a lot of emphasis laid on educating the youngsters about the demands of modern hockey so that he is prepared, physically and mentally, to face the challenges,” says former India goalkeeper AB Subaiah, also a Coorgi. “Over the last few years, we have focussed a lot on developing the youngsters and providing them with the best facilities.This is the main reason why we are seeing so many players succeed from this region.”

The rising dominance of Punjab and Karnataka has coincided with the declining standards in regions such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, which used to boast a rich hockey culture. A testimony to this is the national championships. For the last three years, Punjab and Karnataka have been among the top three sides. However, in all these editions, the performances of the young players from Karnataka overshadowed those of the ageing stars from Punjab. It was the same case in the World Series Hockey (WSH) as well, where players from Karnataka did quite well and generated a lot of buzz.

THE KODAVA DYNASTY

But then, you expect crowds to pour in for a hockey match in Bangalore, which is home to almost all players from Coorg. Hockey is said to be as deep-rooted in their culture as the coffee plantations. And Coorg plays host to one of the biggest hockey festivals in the world. The Kodava Hockey Festival made its way into the Limca Book of Records for attracting record entries. It’s an inter-family tournament and more than 200 Kodava families take part in it. Last year, the national team played an exhibition match against a Kodava XI and the fixture attracted thousands.

Subaiah claims Karnataka is the only state that provides branded apparel and kits to its players along with accommodation in plush hotels during the national championships.

Understandably, Bangalore is the next big destination which is being targeted for the second edition of the Hockey India League (HIL). The recent buzz is that a Coorgi hockey afficionado, who runs a sports event management firm, will bid to own a team in the cash-rich league. But the huge financial commitments and bank guarantees that have to be submitted means the chances of that happening are pretty low.

That, however, won’t stop Hockey India from entering one of the most lucrative markets. “The region has always produced quality players and is of high importance to us. We are still evaluating a few things. But it’ll be nice to have a team from there,” says Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home / by Mihir Vasavda, New Delhi / Sunday – July 07th, 2013