Hockey tournament in time of K’taka polls

A hockey tournament started in Karnataka’s Kodagu district just ahead of the assembly polls in the state will have its final match on April 10. The tournament has made a comeback after a hiatus of three years.

On a sultry afternoon in Napoklu village in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, a six-year-old boy stamps his authority on the hockey field, dribbling past a group of opponents, some over eight times his age.

A hockey tournament started in Karnataka’s Kodagu district just ahead of the assembly polls. (HTPhoto)

Such is his mastery of the hockey stick that the wide-eyed boy is cheered by everyone, even his opponents, though his team comes second best against a side led by a 52-year-old man.

In Kodagu — formerly known as Coorg, a scarcely populated district on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats — the family hockey tournament is how most afternoons are spent, especially in the summer months of March to May.

However, locals say, over the next few weeks, political debates and high-pitched campaigns by various political parties will be as noisier as the cheers on the hockey field. This time, the hockey tournament with a rich history is being held amid state assembly elections.

The hockey tournament is making a comeback after a hiatus of three years -- primarily owing to the Covid-19 pandemic -- and just ahead of the assembly elections.

On March 29, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that the polling for the 224-member legislative assembly in the southern state would be held on May 10 and the counting of votes on May 13.

The final of the tournament, which started on March 20, will take place on April 10.

For the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it presents a perfect platform to make a pitch to retain their two seats in the district they have been ruling for the past two decades, driving on anti-Tipu Sultan sentiment among the locals.

There is little surprise that chief minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the tournament for the first time on March 20 and announced ₹1 crore to promote the tournament, which is played at the family level.

Kodagu, though famous for producing around 40% of India’s high-quality coffee, also highlights the domination of Hindutva politics of the ruling BJP. The two assembly constituencies — Madikeri and Virajpet — and the only Lok Sabha seat (now merged in the Mysuru parliamentary constituency) in the district are represented by the ruling BJP.

At the core of Kodagu’s politics is the 18th-century ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, a name that polarises the political landscape like none other. Citing the current political environment, experts maintain the BJP will find it relatively easier to wrest both assembly seats in the district once again. The sentiment resonates among the Kodavas present on the hockey field in Napoklu village, witnessing what is perceived as the largest inter-family field hockey tournament in the country, Appachettolanda Hockey Festival 2023, with the participation of 399 teams, i.e. 339 families.

The Kodavas are an ethnic-lingual tribe that consider themselves to be the original inhabitants of Kodagu. According to the oral history of the region, the authenticity of which HT cannot independently verify, Tipu Sultan, allegedly killed several Kodavas — considered a martial race and natively speak the Kodava language — in Devati Parambu and imprisoned nearly a hundred thousand them at his fort at Srirangapatnam. Locals believe it was at the Srirangapatnam fort that the 18th-century ruler allegedly forcibly converted them into Muslims.

“The alleged massacre is entrenched deep into the Kodava memory and it is passed on to generations,” says an elderly man, who was among those watching the hockey match and mesmerised by the brilliance of the six-year-old local star.

“The community has been opposing the hailing of Tipu as a freedom fighter,” he adds, refusing to be named. Another spectator, in his late 40s, standing next to the elderly man, says the memory of their “persecution” under Tipu Sultan serves as a reminder of their “loss of dignity”.

Little wonder, experts point out, that some of the leaders of the ruling party keep bringing the topic up to keep the political pot on a boil.

In Kodagu, it is difficult to segregate politics from hockey. Jinu Nannaiah, one of the spectators, tells HT that the Appachattolanda family, which organises the tournament, lost around 18,000 people during the invasion by Tipu Sultan. “Many of them were killed, and those who were imprisoned, were converted to Islam,” says Nannaiah. “There was hardly anyone left, and it took generations to build the family. Even now they don’t have enough players because of what happened to their family.”

The family denies claims of it not having enough players, but says they “suffered a lot during the invasions of Tipu Sultan”.

However, Narendar Pani, a political analyst and professor at the School of Social Sciences at Bengaluru’s National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), points out that politicians try to project the events of the 18th century with the delusions of the modern era. “Tipu’s campaigns were more part of the territorial expansion than a communal attack, as claimed by certain political parties,” explains Pani.

A saying popular in the region is that “coffee and hockey” flow in the veins of Kodavas. The group has also immensely contributed to the armed forces, with India’s first Field Marshal KM Cariappa and General Thimayya of the Kumaon Regiment being hailed as the most distinguished army men among the Kodavas.

The district has produced close to 40 international hockey players, and at the heart of this passion for the sport is the tournament played between families, this year, 339 families to be exact. The tournament started as a way to bring together the bickering families of this hill community, according to organisers.

“The tournament is part of the culture. People come from across the state, country and even from abroad to play the game. It is part of the family pride. This year, the tournament returns after four years, and the enthusiasm is high,” said Madhu Muthanna, head of the Appachettolanda, the family organising the tournament this year.

However, the tournament started to bring together the bickering families of this hill community.

“There are more than 800 families in Kodagu. Naturally, there were some tiffs and quarrels. The idea was to start an event that would give a platform for these families to mingle,” says Kodava Hockey Academy’s president Pandanda Bopanna, the son of the late Pandanda Kuttappa, who started the tournament in 1997.

“By that time, the district had produced some great hockey talent like former India captain MP Ganesh and AB Subbaiah. So, the idea was to identify and nurture more players who can represent the country.”

Though the tournament started with just 60 teams, over the years more families joined in. Former Indian team player and Ekalavya awardee PL Thimmanna are one of the prodigies to have emerged from this tournament.

“The memory of the first jersey is still fresh in my mind. I was five years old when I got on the field for the first time with a hockey stick as big as me,” says Thimmanna, now posted with the customs department. “That year, I didn’t get to play because there were better players. I had to wait for another year to get that jersey.”

Mollera Poovaiah Ganesh, who captained the Indian hockey team between 1966 and 1973, says hockey came to Kodagu with the army officers and soldiers, who would visit the scenic region during vacation. “If you look at the history of hockey, there are records of a game played between villages where the game is played between villages, and if the ball crosses the village, it is considered a point,” says Ganesh. “I think this is the origin of the game of hockey we know today. India taught hockey to the British, the British perfected it, and through soldiers trained by them hockey came to Kodagu.”

When cricket and football gathered popularity across the country, the youngsters in Kodagu picked the hockey stick, said the former Olympian. But, he is concerned about the diminishing representation of the community in the game. “When I was the Indian team coach, I had made two Indian hockey teams – the junior and senior teams – then there were six to seven players from Coorg (Kodagu) in the squad,” he says. “But this has come down, and currently, there are no players in the team from the community.”

The pandemic has also stressed the relationship between Kodagu and hockey, he adds. “I try to talk to people to see if there are any good talents, but the lockdown and addiction to mobile phones have taken the passion for the game from the youngsters,” says Ganesh. “It is alarming.”

However, organisers of the tournament say they are making effort to change the situation. Muthappa says 25 young players will be identified for further training to represent the country. “Due to the pandemic and the floods, we couldn’t run the tournament, and we do see an impact of that,” he adds.

Despite the claims and counterclaims, Tipu Sultan and hockey remain the key subjects in Kodagu. While the former is expected to benefit the ruling BJP in the upcoming elections, the return of the tournament, according to the community, will put Kodagu back on the Indian hockey map.