While cricket is seen as a religion in this country of a billion, it is quite sad to note that our heroes in a sport called hockey are a neglected bunch. The beautiful game which originated in India is now nowhere when compared to the more star-studded and celebrity-endorsed games from the other side of the world, duly adopted by us.

It's naked truth that not much is being spent on ad campaigns and celebrity endorsements, which would have made the game as popular as cricket. Crores are spent each year to make cricket "HAPPENING" but seldom do we see something on hockey. The end result - cricket has captured people's imagination to such a frenzy level that even politicians or for that matter people who didn't know the A, B, C of the game are talking cricket leaving hockey in the doldrums.

The blame for lacklustre performances in the past should not be laid at the players alone. The administrators should shoulder bulk of the blame. Had they been more active to rekindle the spirit of the game, things could have been much different now. What would you do if you are provided with a below par ground, eleven sticks, and a coach but no balls? With no sponsors to their tag the team had to literally fight for monetary benefits. To compound matters, being provided rough surfaces for training and then playing on international turfs that are tailor-made for others is an arduous task in itself. Yet, what our heroes achieved recently tells us that it's "Hockey First".

Things are changing. Changing for good. As always, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Indian hockey after a long wait is finally seeing some light. Their recent successes in Australia and Germany are testimony to the fact that courage and determination has no boundaries. Our heroes - coaches, players, everyone inclusive - showed that self-belief and confidence could overcome any hurdle. In fact, these victories, if cherished in true earnest, can be savoured with as much delight as one can imagine after India winning the Sharjah Cup.

Imagine a tournament where the Indian cricket team had beaten the mighty Aussies in the final. The media attention and subsequently the frenzy it would have created are unthinkable.

Our boys made us proud by doing just that, except that this time it was hockey. The subsequent media attention it generated, though not in a large scale, is a thing to be noted. Two positives came out of this. Team spirit, which is a crucial factor in performance, is now at its peak. The other outcome and perhaps the most important of all is the sponsorship extended by the Sahara Parivar, the same group which had to back off from being the sponsors a few years back, all thanks to the administrators. But gone are those days. It is a totally different era with players complimenting each other, ably backed by the federation.

It is worth mentioning that Indian hockey has been long run by officials (barring few) who had other priorities in their "kitty" before attending to the needs of the players. Inspite of all these hurdles, the players have given every bit they can offer. If cricket can produce icons and stars, so can hockey. Quite sad, then, that the men who have been fighting and bringing glory to the nation for long is not seen as stars. It lies with each and every single Indian to make it happen. One wonders how beneficial it would be if we could sing in unison for the game. The Pillays and the Dhillons who have long donned the blue jersey clearly deserve it.

As we wind up, we hope that the current trend in hockey continues and, with proper care, the great men bring back some of the lost glory.