|
Sunday,
May 16, 2004
|
Spoilsports at play
|
Instead of gearing up for the Athens Olympics in August
this year, Indian hockey is riddled with controversy. Amardeep
Bhattal, who has been following Dhanraj Pillay’s fortunes, reports on the
player in the eye of the storm.
VERSATILE
hockey star Dhanraj Pillay today represents the best in Indian hockey.
Charged with passion for the national game ever since his debut in the
Allwyn Asia Cup in New Delhi in 1989, Pillay has, over the years, carved
out a niche for himself through sheer artistry on the hockey turf.
|
|
|
Indian hockey: Team spirit
is a goal too far |
|
Amardeep Bhattal
IT was
on a cool, sombre morning of February 28, 2002, that I called on Indian
captain Baljit Singh Dhillon at the Concorde in the Malaysian capital.
India had blown away their chances of entering the semifinals of the
World Cup the previous evening and a sense of despondency had engulfed
the national team.
|
Prabhjot Singh
WITH
just three months to go for the Athens Olympics, Indian hockey is
embroiled in a major controversy over the composition of its team. This,
when they should be finetuning skills and strategies for the prestigious
event. Controversies, especially over selection of players, have been a
tradition in Indian hockey. |
Close
encounters of the avian kind
Baljit Singh
SOME
birds are known for their splendid plumage (peacock), some for their
musical qualities (shama). The blue whistling thrush is one bird
which combines both attributes. The thrush is found at altitudes of
2000-3000 m in the Himalayas, from the western tip to the east through
Nepal-Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh into the Patkai, Jaintia, Khasi and
Garo hills, in a crescent bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.
A
city that’s a theme for a dream
Lahore di sair can
last a lifetime for there is so much to see, says Nirupama
Dutt
AS
the old Punjabi adage goes, the one who has not seen Lahore is yet to be
born. This was the phrase used by Asghar Wajahat for his play Jis
Lahore Nahi Wekheya O' Janmeya Nahi. Set against the backdrop of the
Partition riots, this play was made famous in a production by famed
theatre director, Habib Tanvir.
Chugging
through the Nilgiris
Rajnish Wattas
THE
662 Up Nilgiri Express is scheduled to reach Conoor at 10.25
hours. It’s already one hour late, but Manoj Varma, the friendly
Station Superintendent, is not worried. He assures us that the train
would be there soon. Life on the quaint railways runs at an unhurried
pace.
Royal car rolls on
Gaurav Sood
ROLLS-ROYCE,
the name that became synonymous with integrity, reliability and
innovation celebrated its hundredth anniversary on May 4, 2004. Henry
Royce, a reputed engineer first built one of the world’s most famous
and best-known brands in 1904 and Charles Rolls, a motor enthusiast sold
quality cars in London.
The
power of Passion
Ervell E. Menezes
WHEN
the pre-release of a film is so great as in Passion —- the real
name is The Passion of the Christ—- it is difficult for the
film to live up to expectations. But this magnum opus by Mel Gibson does
precisely that, which of course is saying a lot.
Making
the right moves
Ruchika M. Khanna
AFTER
a long hiatus from Bollywood, Pardes girl Mahima Chaudhary, who
was in Chandigarh last week to campaign for the INLD candidate Harmohan
Dhawan, is ready to sizzle again on the silver screen. The actor, once
touted as the next best thing to happen to Bollywood after Madhuri
Dixit, is now ready for her second innings with the lead role in Anupam
Kher’s English movie, Chess.
|
