The shouts of 'India, India' that reverberated around the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium during the World Cup and Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi were significantly subdued on a chilly Monday evening. It isn't a domestic hockey event: India are playing South Africa in a Test series, but the ball hitting the hockey stick produced a distinctive echo, confirming no takers for the national game's international rubber.
Just over four months ago, India lifted the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/a-sunday-to-remember-for-indian-hockey/183219-5-136.html) – beating archrivals Pakistan in the finals. And just over a month ago, India made it to the finals of the Champions Challenge in South Africa.
The results of late don't cast any doubts over improving standards, something Indian hockey strived but never achieved in the not-too-distant past. The performance curve has hit ascendancy under the new Australian coach Michael Nobbs. But still the cricket-crazy nation isn't turning up in numbers to lift the spirits of a game that time and again has needed resuscitative measures.
The sight of empty stands hurts even more knowing the gates have been opened free of cost, and after talking to a few fans you realise that promotion in an era of 24-hour television is as important as top-notch performance.
"We never knew there was an international hockey series beginning in Delhi. We were just crossing the stadium gate and spotted the hoarding. That was enough to invite our interest," said two friends, who play for a local Delhi club.
"I have a friend in the media, who is covering the series. He called me if I was coming to watch the game. But I had no idea if any such series was being organised. Probably an advertisement or two on one of the top TV channels could have helped. Players need full-houses but for that you also need to promote the tournaments, at least the international series," said another fan sitting alone in a section carrying around 500 seats.
Compare this sorry state to Baichung Bhutia's farewell match organised by the All Indian Football Federation recently. It was almost a packed house at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which is not too far from the MDC National Stadium. No doubt that the chance to see the top German footballers in the India vs Bayern Munich match was a big incentive, but people knew that the event was on and came in numbers to pay and watch, which is not the case with this India-South Africa hockey series where entry is absolutely free.
Beside football, the Punj Lloyd Squash Masters held in December was decently received by the fans, especially when you compare it to the empty hockey stands.
The divide between India's hockey bodies – Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) – has played spoilsport on more than one occasion, putting promotion of the game on the backburner.
But this dissension is doing no good to the game, which is slowly but surely getting back on its feet after convalescence. All it needs is support, which comes only from the fans, and the organisers need to get the ground running to fill the stands or we will witness similar scenes in the Olympic qualifiers in February.
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