On January 7, 1984, time was 3:30 am in the morning, freezing cold, dense fog and mist with temperatures having about 3 degrees Celsius. Admittedly, the hands were not visible from a distance of few yards. People were lost in the warmth and warmth of the quilt, lost in the beautiful world of their dreams, but who knew that at the same time, a great player of our country was struggling with his life and death.
Finally, on that terrible night of January 7, 1984, the great player of the country was taken away from us forever and handed over to the world where we all have to go after death. Do you know, who was that great player? He was the hockey legend & the former Skipper of the Indian hockey team Olympian Sardar Surjit Singh Randhawa, who lost his life in a fatal car accident today the 7 January, 1984 at village Bidhipur near Jalandhar.
He was accompanied by his best friend, international basketball player Prashotam Panthe, who also lost his life in this accident whereas Ram Partap, former athletic coach managed to escape. Today the country is celebrating his 37th death anniversary.
Born on October 10, 1951, Surjit Singh played for State College of Sports, Jalandhar under Guru Nanak Dev University and later for Indian Universities (Combined Universities) team as deep defender. Surjit Singh made his international debut in the second World Cup Hockey Tournament in Amsterdam in 1973. He was a member of the Indian team which under the leadership of charismatic leader Ajit Pal Singh won the third World Cup Hockey Tournament at Kuala Lumpur in 1975.
Surjit Singh also participated in the Fifth World Cup Hockey Tournament, the 1974 and 1978 Asian Games, 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Surjit Singh was acclaimed as one of the best full backs in the world. In 1973 he was included in the World Hockey XI and in the next year, he was a member of the All-Star Hockey XI. Surjit Singh was also the top scorer-both in the Esanda International hockey Tournament at Perth in Australia and the 1978 Asian Games.
During his hockey career Surjit Singh was concerned about players cause. Surjit Singh served the Indian Airlines for a few years. Later he joined the Punjab Police. He was married to Chanchal Randhawa who was also international field hockey player, who led India women’s national field hockey team in the 1970s. His Son Sarbrinder Singh Randhawa is a Lawn Tennis Player. Surjit was posthumously awarded the Arjuna Award in 1998.
Olympian Surjit Singh made every effort to raise the standard of hockey and living hockey players at all times. Surjit Singh wanted every Indian hockey player to have a life like a cricketers. He wanted hockey players to get the same facilities money as in cricket for every match. He fought till his death for the betterment of hockey and for the bright future of the hockey players.
Olympian Surjit Singh set up a “Sportsmen’s Benefit Committee” to financially help the hockey players. He was of the view that like cricket, benefit matches should be held for the hockey players. He did not want the players to live a life of inferiority after his retirement, as our Olympian Captain Roop Singh did.
It is pertinent to mention that Olympian Roop Singh did not even have money for treatment of the disease and finally lost his life. That’s why Olympian Surjit Singh set up the above “Sportsmen’s Benefit Committee”. I personally met him in this regard and he said that our committee would provide financial assistance to 5 players every year and all the proceeds from it would be given to that hockey player.
The committee first decided to hold a match in support of Olympian Surjit Singh. The match was scheduled to be played between India and Pakistan on January 4, 1984 at the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar. The city was full of nice and illustrated posters. Match discussions were going on everywhere. Preparations were in full swing, but who knew that this match would not be an “Olympian Surjit Singh Benefit Match” but an “Olympian Surjit Memorial Match”.
Surjit was to play in the four-match series was practicing very hard. He used to say that he would show the best performance of his life in this match but perhaps God did not allow Surjit to play in this match himself. The match had to be postponed on January 4 for some reasons and again on January 6, 1984 Olympian Surjit Singh, Prashotam Panthe, Secretary of the said committee and Ram Pratap (former Athletic Coach, Sports School, Jalandhar), together met with the Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border to set a new date and while were returning back home in the night in the middle of the night, the cruel claws of death did not spare olympian Surjit Singh and snatched the precious diamond of Indian hockey from us forever. The other teammate Prashotam Panthe was also killed. If this match had taken place, Olympian Surjit Singh would have been the first Indian hockey player to have a benefit match to help him.
Olympian Surjit Singh was considered the master of penalty corners. There was lightning in their bodies and in their joints. His penalty corner hit was going at a speed of 120 km per hour. In doing so, he was called the ”Penalty Corner Da Badhshah” (king of penalty corner). Olympian Surjit Singh first worked in Eastern Railway, then in Indian Airlines, Delhi, but in the end his love for Punjabis and the land of Punjab brought him back to Punjab and he got a job as a police inspector.
Surjit has always been an iron wall in the Indian hockey team. Surjit Singh’s name appears in some of the world’s greatest fullbacks, such as Britain’s Bob Keitral and Paul Barber, West Germany’s Peter Troop and Michael Peter, Holland’s Ties Cruise and Paul Litijen, and Pakistan’s Anwar.
With a pledge to keep the name of Olympian Surjit Singh alive, who lost his life while fighting hard for up liftment of the standard of game of Hockey and its players in our Country, the Surjit Hockey Society (Regd.) came into existence in 1984. Society started holding of All India Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament at Jalandhar every year.
Initially, tournament was started on grassy ground of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, Jalandhar with top teams of Northern India and the very first memorial tourney captured great crowd and hockey lovers commended the organization of tournament and Society earned great fame.
Top teams from Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh, Yugoslavia, Canada, England, America, Croatia, Malaysia etc. have participated in this tournament from time to time besides the famous top teams of our country in Men & Women section. This year society is going to hold its 38th edition of the Surjit Hockey Tournament from March 26 to April 5, 2021.
The Society has tried its all-level best to keep the name & fame of the above Hockey Legend alive in the Country as well as world Over by providing utmost modern facilities to the participating teams and officials & also through innovation & improvements year after year.
The Society with its earnest efforts have been able to get the name of the Stadium of Burlton Park, Jalandhar named as “Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium”, which itself has elevated the Hockey Legend in the field of Sports. Not looking back, Society was able to get the name of native village of Surjit Singh “DAKHLA” changed as “Surjit Singh Wala”, again a salute to the legend.
Under the slogan “Watch Surjit Hockey–Win ALTO Car”, Every year, Surjit Hockey Society awarding a MARUTI ALTO Car, Motor Cycles, Refrigerators and LCDs to the spectators, who come to witness the Surjit Hockey matches. The main idea is to attract & to create more interest amongst the general public, especially our youth for our national game of Hockey. Society also granted pension to Mrs. Joginder Kaur mother of Olympian Surjit Singh till her death.
The Society also conducts the coaching camps for upcoming Hockey Lover kids every year to explore “NEW SURJIT” among them. With the earnest efforts of the deputy commissioner, Jalandhar Ghanshyam Thory who is also president of the Society, Secretary Iqbal Singh Sandhu, Chief PRO Surinder Singh Bhapa and Joint Secretary Ranbir Singh Tut, even during covid-19 pandemic, adopting of SoP of Covid-19, the ongoing Surjit hockey coaching camp is attended by more than 200 budding players in the 14 & 19 years of age groups from last more than 100 days. The main attraction of this camp is that all hockey equipment including best diet like fruits, soaked almonds and candies are provided to all campers, courtesy by the USA based NRIs Tut Brothers. Now, this camp is known & famous as “Badama Wala Camp” (Camp of Almonds) in India.
Simultaneously, another USA based NRIs Gakhal Group has provided kit to all the campers also. A hockey academy named after Olympian Surjit Singh is also being run here at local Surjit Hockey Stadium. The society’s fine functioning has given such impetus to the game in the region that bright and talented players are coming up in every age group. What better tribute will be to Surjit Singh who always considered it a sacred duty to fight for the cause of hockey and the players’ rights .
The Society has not stopped here but have equally stepped ahead to help the poor and needy parents for the marriages of their wards and to help them to smile with Society. The Society has honored eminent Hockey Stalwarts, Hockey Olympians, eminent sports persons & NRI’s from time to time to remain in touch with the public.
The Main attraction for the hockey lovers is that the Society does not levy any sort of gate money for the spectators get to witness excellent game of hockey. Thousands of spectators watch the hockey matches in the stadium and semi-finals on television sets. Thus it gives an opportunity the sponsors to advertise their products to the viewers.
It goes beyond doubt to state here that the Society succeed in conveying their messages/slogans to promote & adopt hockey to the public through this tournament held every year, besides Hockey Punjab and Hockey India carefully observe the budding players do that the best can be chosen for state and national teams. Presently,
Society has been honoured by hockey loving people of Punjab by way of extending continuous financial help and with their kind support, society has been able to provide maximum facilities to the participating teams on the pattern of International standards besides cash awards & other attractive prizes to best players amounting to Rs. 10.00 Lakhs.
Demands of Surjit Hockey Society:- Municipal Corporation is currently giving a new look to the city under Smart City Project. Municipal Commissioner Karnesh Sharma and Mayor Mr. Jagdish Raja should change the name Gulab Devi Road as “Olympian Surjit Singh Marg” and installation of a men size statue of Olympian Surjit Singh on the T-Point at the back of the college HMV Collge and Gulab Devi Road on the occasion of 38th death anniversary as Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium is on the same path.
Further, Surjit Hockey Society, Jalandhar is spending Rs. 40.00 to 50.00 Lahk annually to promote our national game of hockey. Society demands that Punjab Government should made provision in the Annual Budget of Rs. 25.00 lakh as fixed grant to run this tournament annually.
Today, it has been 38 years since Surjit Singh left us. Their deficit can never be made up. The death of Olympian Surjit has left a place in the Indian hockey team that can hardly be filled now. Today his 38 death anniversary is being celebrated all over the country and let’s pledge today that all hockey players should follow the techniques and principles laid down by the late Olympian Surjit Singh and this will be our true tribute to that great player.
Iqbal Singh Sandhu, PCS (Retired)
Former Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana
And Honorary Secretary, Surjit Hockey Society, Jalandhar
Mobile: 9417100786 and email to [email protected]
