Odisha’s Contribution to India’s Victory? – Sndp

After all how is Odisha so important for India?

Can India’s poorest state illuminate the name of India in front of the United Nations? Can Odisha’s Contribution to India’s Victory ?. The country can win the Olympics by investing crores of rupees! Can new world records be created again and again? This is the story of Odisha, where the hockey world cup is happening today. But maybe some of us would not even know this thing? It is a matter of pride for us that Odisha has created the world’s largest hockey stadium, and as a result, India has created records. Today I want to tell you the story of Odisha, the story of hockey, and the story of change, but this story is not only of one state but of India.

How hockey lost it’s shine

Going back a bit, this is Major Dhyan Chand, the god of hockey. 1928, 1933, and 1936 He has won three Olympics, and one of his sayings about these facts is very famous. Adolf Hitler saw Dhyan Chand playing, and he was quite impressed. Hitler also offered Major Dhyan Chand citizenship and a post in his army. But Major Dhyan Chand did not leave India; we consider his birthday as National Sports Day. Major Dhyan Chand was the first sports hero of our country. when Dhoni, Sachin, and Kapil Dev were not even born. From 1928 to 1964, India won seven Olympic gold and one silver medal in hockey. But then something happened in 1970, due to which India was completely left behind in hockey. Earlier, hockey was played on grass, but to make the game faster, after 1976, hockey was played on turf. Europe and Australia came together and made playing on synthetic turf compulsory. It costs at least Rs 5 crore to build a turf field. And at that time, India did not have that much money at all. Our officers did not take any action against this move. This is what the players here used to practice on the grass, and ultimately they had to play on the turf. The infrastructure was simply not available. As a result, India was lagging behind in hockey.

India won the World Cup for the last time in 1975, and not even once after that. Our performance in hockey was getting worse every year, and in other games we were winning slowly and coming out as winners. And the audience wanted to see India win. Our focus was where we were winning. and hockey was getting left behind. In fact, the 2012 Olympic Indian hockey team was in 12 positions when it finished in the last slot; this was the darkest moment for Indian hockey.

Dark history of Odisha

Just like the past of hockey has been challenging, similarly, the past of Odisha has also been challenging. Odisha was once one of the poorest states in India. On October 19, 1999, winds started blowing at a speed of 250 kmph, and Odisha was surrounded by a cyclone. 10,000 people lost their lives in this one cyclone, and 16 lakh houses were destroyed. Total economic loss was more than 20000 crores. But today the situation has reversed. Cyclones still come, and damage still happens. But one thing has changed: the 2019 Penny Cyclone came, and that too was devastating. But it happened that in Odisha, the fertility number was not 10,000, not 100, but only 64. One known life is priceless, but bringing the death count from 10,000 to 64 is an achievement. And the United Nations has also appreciated such efforts. This has become possible because of the efforts of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. If we look closely at the history, from 1891 to 2021, Odisha has faced more than 100 cyclones. But there is a good leader who understands the condition. He does not give up hope thinking about the things which are not in his control. But using whatever is in his hands, he faces the problems firmly.

Odisha’s disaster management process is something like this.

Odisha’s disaster management response is divided into three steps.

• Preparation
• Action
• Prompt reaction

1. Preparation: A week before the arrival of the cyclone, using technology, it is understood where the maximum impact is going to happen.
2. Action: The people of this affected area are evacuated and relocated to a safe area. The fishermen are warned not to venture into the sea.
3. Prompt Reaction: When a cyclone comes, CM himself monitors the disaster. And help reaches the lightly affected area as soon as possible.

Absolutely, the economic impact of a cyclone is still there today. But Odisha has come a long way since 1999. The United Nations has praised this model for Odisha. And the areas where cyclones and tornadoes occur have been told to learn from Odisha. This is a matter of pride for the whole of India.

Connection of Odisha and Hockey 

Now what is the connection between Odisha and hockey? Odisha has adopted hockey as a sport. You must have heard about the IPL; similarly, there is the Hockey India League (HIL) for hockey. In this league, Odisha State bought a team named the Kalinga Lancers. Sahara India, a family company, used to sponsor hockey until 2018. But after 2018, the deal fell through, as no private company was ready to sponsor the hockey team. Then Odisha, as a state, sponsored the Indian hockey team. and gave him a straight contract for 10 years. 2018 hosted the Hockey World Cup for the first time in Bhubaneswar. And again this year, the Hockey World Cup is happening in Odisha. Odisha understood that India was lagging behind in hockey because of a lack of infrastructure. So he invested in the future of sports in India. The world’s largest seating capacity hockey stadium was built by spending 260 crores. which is in Rourkela, Odisha. At the same time, 21 new synthetic tanning turfs were made, of which 5 are in Rourkela. which helps promote sports at the grass-roots level. Hockey High Performance Center was built in Bhuneshwar by spending more than 300 crores in association with Tata company. Along with hockey, sports like swimming, football, tennis, and badminton can also be played. Result The men’s teams brought home a medal after 41 years at the Tokyo Olympics. The credit goes to the hard work of our players as well as the support given by them. The women’s hockey teams also came at the 4th rank, which shows that Indian hockey is moving in the right direction.

Conclusion

Today’s story specials is for this. because Odisha understood the value of the underdog. Odisha as a state is itself an underdog; there are many fields where development has yet to happen, but Odisha knows its own potential. And in the same way, Odisha knows the potential of India. That’s why he keeps adopting other sports, like hockey, slowly. Like hollow, Odisha also bought a team in the Ultimate Kho Kho League. and also invests in sports like rugby, swimming, and football. Today, Odisha has proudly become the sports capital of India. a state that was being left behind due to natural disadvantages. He is going to give India a medal today. If every state of India starts adopting one sport, then it is possible that today we have become a superpower in cricket. Similarly, be able to move forward in different sports as well!

There was a time when hockey was a disaster, and there was a time when Odisha was going through a disaster. But now that era has passed. Because this story of Odisha and Hockey is special for us, because it gives us something very important, Hope. No matter how India’s past may be, the coming tomorrow is going to shine with a medal.