Click to play videoSansarpur (Punjab): Punjab may be the land of master sportspersons, but the state's politicians have little time for them.
Sansarpur near Jalandhar has given 14 Olympians and four Arjuna awardees to the country, but today, it’s turning out to be a losing game for the champs hailing from the smalltown.
Sansarpur tells a tale of neglect and inadequate facilities. The wannabe hockey stars continue playing on grass, which is not the way professional hockey is played anymore.
But aid for Astroturf, the surface on which world-class hockey is played on is expensive and is yet to come.
As yet another election approaches and promises are being met, these young players are waiting for their turn with a spirit of whatever it takes.
“I want to tell the Prime Minister that we want a turf,” says a young hockey player, Ajit.
But not many are hopeful. Like the 1963 Olympian Jagjit Singh who has given up hope. "Hockey doesn't matter. I have no hope from these politicians. Sports doesn't matter," says Jagjit.
Perhaps its an indication of changing times, that when sports finds its way into the manifesto, it's cricket and not hockey that finds place.
For instance, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Prakash Singh Badal has promised three cricket stadia. So much so, there is no sign of campaigning yet in this village close to Jalandhar.
People and sports do not count. For the politicians of Punjab, fighting for their turf, hockey is just another game.
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