It is a matter of misfortune for the country that many such players are being ignored even today.
Vishwajit Mehra, who played with the country’s legendary hockey player Dhanraj Pillai, is currently living a miserable life. In today’s time, everyone from the government to the public has neglected him. At present both the brothers are forced to sell fish. On the other hand, other hockey players of the state, Subhash Chand, who has played 8 times in national hockey, are living with shoes today due to the negligence of the sports federation.
While it was a great day for the fans of Indian sports as the men’s and women’s hockey teams created history in the Tokyo Olympics, it is unfortunate for the country that many such players have been overlooked even today. The Indian men’s team has reached the semi-finals after almost 49 years, while the women’s team has made it to the semi-finals for the first time by defeating Australia. This is a time of pride for the country, but the humiliation of such big players tells a story of great sadness.
According to a published report, Vishwajit Mehra of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, who played with the country’s legendary hockey player Dhanraj Pillai, is telling life in unemployment. At the same time, his brother Sanjeev Mehra has also been a national player. Former national hockey player Vishwajit Mehra said that he has been in the national team 5 times. “Playing with Dhanraj Pillai and Pargat Singh was the best moment for me,” he added.
According to the report, Mehra, a former state-level champion, said that he could not express his happiness after seeing the performance of the Indian team in the Tokyo Olympics. He said that such enthusiasm was seen against the Delhi team in the match played in 1983. In this match his team defeated Delhi. Mehra said that the first hockey hostel was opened in 1986-87 in Chamba. He was in the national team in 1988. However, they still make a living by selling fish.
Another hockey player from Hamirpur district of Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is Subhash Chand, who has played national hockey eight times. According to Subhash Chand, he has played eight times in several categories in the Nationals in the 90s. However, today he is fascinated by every rupee and he has to make shoes to feed his family. Subhash Chand has high hopes from Anurag Thakur, who became the Union Sports Minister recently.