2 decades on, siblings keep hockey tradition alive

On Sunday, when 13 hockey teams from across Punjab, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh gather at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Burlton Park, Jalandhar, one family will hold aloft the Mata Parkash Kaur Cup as encouragement to all the teams in memory of their father, Balwant Kapur, whose love for hockey probably surpassed everything else.

Brothers Gursaran Singh, 88, Harbhajan Singh, 85, Manjit Singh, 82, Tirath Singh, 74, and Hardeep Singh, 65, may have grown older from the time they launched this tournament 20 years ago in 2004. But age has not dimmed their zeal nor contained their determination to keep their father’s name alive through this tournament.

The winning team gets Rs 1.25 lakh followed by Rs 1 lakh for the runners-up and Rs 80,000 and Rs 60,000 for the third and the fourth-ranked teams. Six best players also get

Rs 10,000 each.

“After the death of our father in 1995, we wanted to start something in his memory. After years of discussions and ideas, we finally decided that we will start this tournament,” Harbhajan told The Tribune.

“He never played hockey at any level, but he adored the game. We thought we will keep his memory alive this way,” he added. Balwant migrated to Jalandhar from Gujranwala during Partition in 1947, where he learnt to play hockey at Khalsa School and developed a love for the game. Balwant retired as a superintendent from the Jalandhar civic body.

Harbhajan said, “The tournament is like an annual family festival that no one misses. My brother, Manmohan Singh, was an integral part of it until he died two years ago.” “We may skip visiting each other on Diwali or Gurpurb, but we ensure to get together at this time of the year for the tournament,” he said.

Manjit Singh Kapur said, “We don’t know what will happen next. Now, we have given the responsibility to our kids. They will definitely keep the legacy alive.”

Interestingly, the family doesn’t invite any politician to the event as they don’t want any “Rajneeti” around the tournament, which is personal and emotional to them.