The Captain of a State Hockey Team

Image and Narrative contributed by Aparna Das Sadukhan, Singapore

This is a picture of my late maternal Grandfather, Surendra Behera (Right most in a striped blazer) from his Utkal university days when he played Hockey for the Orissa state team in 1949. At the time, he was 24 years old and studying Law, after graduating in Arts from Ravenshaw College (he did not complete his law degree). The people in the photograph were from different colleges under Utkal University.

My grandfather whom we in the family fondly called Aja (grandfather in Oriya) was born in Cuttack, Orissa (now Odisha) in 1925, in a large joint family of 30 members and his own father ran a sweets shop business. When Aja grew up, he was known as “Sura Bhai”, and was a dearly loved man by his family and friends. After his marriage, my Ayee (grandmother) and Aja together had four sons, and a daughter.

By the mid 1950’s, Aja became the Captain of Orissa  State Hockey Team and was awarded the “Blue” award by Utkal University authorities in Odisha. The honour of “Blue” was given by universties to students proficient in sports, with unblemished character, were deemed well-behaved and were lovable to peers & superiors. My grandfather received the Ravenshaw College Blue, Utkal University Blue and the Madhusudan Law College Blue for representing these institutions and Hockey Team impeccably.

Professionally he began working with the Secretariat of the Government of Odisha, in the Revenue Department, though even after retirement, in his 60s, he continued to be associated with State Hockey Association and worked as Coach and then referee for quite a long time.

I loved my grandfather. He was a wonderful person, revered by everyone who knew him. For most of his life he had a steady string of family and friends visiting him. As a lifestyle, Aja lived simply, with immense love in his heart for everyone. He never depended on anyone, even in his last days, for anything. He ironed and washed his own clothes and insisted on ironing everyone else’s too.

As a rule he never came empty handed for his wife on pay or pension day. We are told that he would ride his bicycle to get his pension and go straight to Odisi and buy my grandmother, my Ayee, a gift. He loved eating and secretly bought Cuttack’s famous street food, Doi Bora – Alu Dom without Ayee’s knowledge. When we visited, he bought it on the pretext of treating us.  I remember, he had a cupboard full of interesting things he had collected over the years – Photographs, pens, binoculars, medals, shields, and a pocket microscope which I now have in my possession. I remember as children would beg him to let us have a peek into his treasures.

Till his last days, he helped several players in need, with sports accessories and provisioned medicine to the needy with his own money. He was adored by youngsters who aspired to play Hockey but didn’t have the means.

Aja was was the only person in my family who never asked me about my exams, but instead how many medals I had won in sports. To his joy, I did have a few sport wins in school. Nonetheless, no one in our generation has come anywhere close to achieving what he had in his lifetime.

On March 5, 2002, he was felicitated by the Department of Sports & Youth services, Government. of Odisha, for elevating the prestige of the State and for his commendable contribution in the field of National/International Sports. The honour is similar to a Lifetime Achievement Award given by the state to veterans in different fields. His contribution to sports in general & Hockey in Odisha, in particular, was widely recognized through awards won by him. He was awarded by the Speaker of Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament), Sri Rabi Ray & Chief Minister of Odisha, Sri Navin Patnaik for his invaluable contribution.

Aja passed away of old age on April 11, 2013. My third uncle (and his third son) plays football for BSNL (a public sector company) and was their Team Captain for a number of years.