Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
India’s national game, hockey, recently marked its 100th anniversary. Yet, any celebration of its legacy would be incomplete without acknowledging the contribution of the Cantonment (Chawani) area. Once a flourishing nursery of hockey talent, Cantonment produced district, state, and national-level players in abundance. Every other household had a budding player, and the sport enjoyed unmatched passion and prestige.
Today, however, hockey is struggling to survive. With a lack of promoters, dwindling interest, and almost no career prospects unlike cricket this once-beloved sport is losing its dignity and space among the youth of Cantonment.
The lost art of dribbling
M.A. Wajed (66), a businessman and former noted hockey player from Cantonment, recalls the glorious era between 1960 and 1990.
He credits retired police officer and former Bombay Police player Abdul Hameed, fondly known as Wadivastad, for sowing the seeds of hockey in the locality. After retiring, Abdul Hameed settled in Chawani and began training local youth.
Wajed reminisces,“Every day in the 1960s, he would step out of his house at 3.30 pm with a bag full of balls. He waited at the Church Ground for players to arrive and handed each of them a ball and teach the game. No one entered the ground without greeting him. Even city players admired him deeply. He was truly a guardian angel for us.”
Wajed adds sadly, “Cantonment was once the only place in the region where players regularly made it to district, state, and national tournaments through clubs like Cantonment Club, Rovers Club, United Club, Brothers Club, and Golden Club. But from 2000 onwards, hockey began fading. Now, in 2025, numerous clubs have shrunk to just one. Without promoters, sponsors, or a good future, the sport is dying a slow death.”
“A poor man’s game” losing to rich man’s sport
Rangnath Salve, a 73-year-old retired principal of a physical education college and a former university-level national player, stressed, “ Hockey’s decline began in the late 2000s. “There were 22 clubs then,” he recalls. “Each of the seven wards in Cantonment had its own team. Every ground was filled with enthusiastic youngsters practicing diligently. Even kids in the mohallas played with handmade wooden sticks. Those years produced some of the finest players Cantonment has ever seen.”
“Hockey is a poor man’s sport, simple and inexpensive. Cricket, on the other hand, is expensive and draws all the spotlight. The decline began when tournaments stopped. With no future prospects, no jobs, and no recognition, parents lost the motivation to encourage their children. Earlier, talented players from Cantonment easily secured jobs in the police, military, railways, state transport, or teaching professions because of their achievements. Today, no parent wants their child to even pick up a hockey stick.”
BOX: Major Dhyan Chand’s visit
India’s pride and hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand Singh Bais, visited Aurangabad multiple times between 1964 and 1966. In 1964, he graced the All India Inter-University (West Zone) National Games held at the Police Headquarters Ground (now Vikram Stadium, Mill Corner), while practice matches took place at Milind College.
Salve fondly recalls an unforgettable encounter, “While we were practicing at Milind College, Major Dhyan Chand watched us keenly. He interacted with each of us, asking our names, qualifications, playing positions, and how long we had been in the game. It was a magical moment. He advised us to maintain stamina and encouraged us warmly before leaving with a thumbs-up.”