Tucked away in Jalandhar Sansarpur has birthed 14 Olympians. Tribune correspondent Deepkamal Kaur and lensman Sarabjit Singh browse the alleyways of the village to bring you a peek into the yesteryears of splendour A player juggles the ball with her stick during a training session at the only astroturf of the village. IT is a village with a population of 5000; and lush history. Sansarpur near Jalandhar Cantonment is the one village of Punjab that strikes the right chord when it comes to being a contender for title the cradle of Indian hockey. The list of suitors for the moniker however is not a lengthy one. With each having the backing of numbers only Coorg of Karnataka and Odishas Sundergarh come closest to match the tiny hamlet widely known by many as Mecca of hockey if not the cradle but only a handful know that all 14 Olympians it has churned out hailed from just one street. Budding players coming out of six-a-side astroturf at Sansarpur village. The first Indian team to visit foreign lands in 1926 fielded Thakur Singh from Sansarpur. And in the days to come the instance was harbinger of what the village known as powerhouse of producing electrifying players would have many more in its belly ready to burst forth onto the international landscape. Giving it leverage the most endearing fact about those 14-strong has been that in 1968 Mexico Games seven were from Sansarpur. While five of them Balbir Singh (Pb) Balbir (Services) Jagjit Singh Tarsem and Ajit Pal had represented India the other two – Hardial and Jagjit – represented Kenya. India won a bronze that year. Enough said! The achievements of 5011 Army Services Corps Battalion based in district till 1975 are highlighted at the entrance of an officers club in Jalandhar Cantonment. Prior to this at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics four from the village were part of the gold-winning Indian squad. Needless to say at the height of success often termed as golden days of the Indian hockey the team had won 11 medals including six golds on the bounce in 12 Olympics between 1928 and 1980. Olympian street: Only a handful know that all 14 Olympians the village has churned out hailed from just one street. Returning to Sansarpur the hockey boys are also bearers of 12 Asian Games medals. As a record 11 boys from the village were part of the gold medallist team that won in Bangkok at the 1966 Asian Games. It included A Frank Harbinder Balbir (Railways) Balbir (Services) Balbir (Pb) Inder Tarsem Gurbax S Laxman Prithipal and Jagjit. Seventh Heaven: The seven Kulars from Sansarpur who featured at the Mexico Games in 1968. Brilliant 11: The 1968 Asian Games gold-winning members. In a first: The first-ever group photograph of Sansarpur Sporting Association. It was clicked in 1940. All in all it has birthed more than 306 international and national level hockey players for the country of which more than 200 belong to Kular sub-caste alone. Beginnings & recurring glory It was Subedar Major Thakur Singh Kular (in pic) who is credited with bringing the game to Sansarpur. A part of the Army XI contingent he had toured New Zealand for an international match as early as 1926. But the first Olympian from this village was Col Gurmit S Kular in 1932. Many players from the village were part of the Olympics contingent for more than once. Sample this: IPS officer Udham S Kular represented India at the Olympics in 1952 1956 1960 and 1964 bringing a medal each time. Ajit Pal Singh Kular voyaged three times ie 1968 1972 and 1976. The last Sansarpurian to headline Olympics was Bindi Kular who represented Canada in 2000. Stamping its mark there have been five Arjuna awardees from this village. These are Udham Singh Jagjit S Kular Col Balbir S Kular Ajit Pal S Kular and Balbir S Kular (IPS) while Ajit Pal and Hardial S Kular are recipients of Padma Shri. Whetting the curiosity an extremely proud Col Balbir Singh who was part of the 1968 Olympics team and 1966 Asian Games gold-winning squad outlines the beginnings “Since the cantonment came up just adjoining our village in the British era their players used the Sansarpurs grounds for sporting activities. This is how the villagers got an early brush with the hockey even as they used cloth balls made at home and club-shaped tree branches for hockey sticks. The boys used to play barefoot.” His younger brother Popinder Singh Kular a retired professor from Jamia Milia Islamia chimes in “Sansarpur is home to 306 hockey players. Our village did not just brew 14 Olympians but also 19 internationals which represented India and other countries and 110 national level players who played for 20 states and another 132 who represented various military teams.” Having penned a book on his village in Punjabi titled Hockey Da Ghar Sansarpur he bemoans “Our village could not produce any Olympian after 1980.” Losing grip? recently villages progress has been sliding downhill Even as the village still has hockey grounds one six-a-side astroturf (which needs to be replaced) a government coach to train nearly 60 boys and 20 girls and funds coming from NRIs to purchase top-notch quality hockey kits and equipment the progress made to translate the old times is riding on fleeting moments. The vault: Trophies and old pictures dating back to the Indias golden era grace the office of Sansarpur Hockey Association. The fact that the young boys from the village tend to move abroad upon completion of their studies has also affected the bigger prospects. The status of Mecca is coming off gradually; the flower has stopped exuding fragrance. Say hello! Olympian Col Balbir Singh shows the wall with pictures of his compatriots both international & national players from the village. The hockey nursery title is beginning to find roots in the adjoining Mithapur village which belongs to Congress MLA and hockey Olympian Pargat Singh. The present Captain of Indian team Manpreet Singh hails from this village so does his teammate Varun Kumar. Kulars all the way: The sweet 14 Represented India Col Gurmit S Kular 1932 Udham Singh Kular (BSF) 1952 56 60 64 Gurdev Singh Kular 1956 Darshan Singh Kular 1964 Balbir Singh Kular (Punjab Police) 1964 68 Jagjit Singh Kular 1964 68 Col Balbir Singh Kular 1968 Tarsem Singh Kular (BSF) 1968 Ajit Pal Singh Kular 1968 1972 1976 Represented Kenya Hardial S Kular 1964 68 Hardev S Kular 1956 60 Jagjit S Kular 1968 Harvinder S Kular 1984 Represented Canada Bindi Kular 2000

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