In the world of field hockey, it's almost impossible that any player or fan is ignorant about Sansarpur. This is not the name of any player or any big city. It's a small village in Punjab. The quote "actions speak louder than the words" pertinently sums up this village.
No village or place in the world can claim to have more hockey stars than this village. In the world of soccer, we can compare it a little bit with the "El Chota" village of Ecuador, because "El Chota" has given seven soccer stars to Equador's national team. These seven soccer players also play for the world's renowned soccer clubs. Even then "El Chota" will be placed in second position after Sansarpur, because the number of stars produced by Sansarpur is more.
The village is located just outside of Jalandhar in Punjab. The tradition of following one hockey star after another was achieved by this famous village without any funding from government agencies and without any foreign trained coaches. Even without having a hockey ground or astro-turf, the players of this village have always had their spirits up.
There was a time when national and international hockey matches were impossible without including players from Sansarpur. Once it was called the "Nursery of Indian hockey." Sansarpur boasts eight gold medals, one silver, and six bronze medals in the Olympic Games and four gold and eight silver medals in the Asian Games. Five Olympians have also won the Arjana Award, which is the highest sports award in India.
Major Dhyan Chand and Sansarpur have boosted Indian hockey in the
world. Dyan Chand is very famous as a "magician of hockey" and Sansarpur as an Olympian village contributed a lot to hockey. Indian hockey is incomplete without these two names.
These days, this village is losing its charm and popularity. A lack of proper facilities and a mixing of politics in the sport are creating hurdles. For a long time, no player has been selected for the national team.
These days, this village is losing its charm and popularity. A lack of proper facilities and a mixing of politics in the sport are creating hurdles. For a long time, no player has been selected for the national team.
Balbir Singh, a former hockey Olympian, and Arjuna Awardee are from Sansarpur. This village could have regained its old glory if plans of nurturing talent and providing proper training at the grassroots level by the governments of India and the state had been carried out.
Singh wrote a couple of letters to the sports minister at the central government level -- to Uma Bharati, Sukhdev Dhindsa, and Sunil Dutt -- and also tried to explain it to the chief ministers Prakash Singh Badal and Captain Amrinder Singh, but no response has come from anyone so far.
These days, Singh is the president of the Sansarpur Hockey Association, and he trains approximately 200 boys everyday at Sansarpur grounds, which has been given to them by the army. But the astro-turf is lacking there.Sansarpur Olympians
Representing India:
1. Col Gurmit Singh Kular 1932
2. Udham Singh Kular 1952, '56, '60, '64
3. Gurdev Singh Kular 1956
4. Dashan Singh Kular 1964
5. Balbir Singh Kular 1964, 68
6. Col. Balbir Singh Kular 1968
7. Jagjit Singh Kular 1964, 68
8. Tarsem Singh Kular 1968
9. Ajit Pal Singh Kular 1968, '72, '76
Representing Kenya
1. Late Hardian Singh Kular 1968, '72
2.. Hardev Singh Kular 1956, 1960
3.. Jagjit Singh Kular 1968
4.. Harvinder Singh Kular 1988
Representing Canada
1. Bindi Singh Kular 2000
Asian Games
1. Udham Singh Kular 1958
2. Gurdev Singh Kular 1958, '62
3. Balbir Singh Kular 1958
4. Gurjit Singh Kular 1958
5. Darshan Singh Kular 1962
6. Balbir Singh Kular 1966
7. Col Balbir Singh Kular 1966
8. Jagjit Singh Kular 1966
9. Tarsem Singh Kular 1966
10. Ajit Pal Singh Kular 1970, '74
Arjuna Awardees
1. Udham Singh Kular 1965
2. Jagjit Singh Kular 1967
3. Col Balbir Singh Kular 1968
4. Ajit Pal Singh Kular 1970
5. Balbir Singh Kular 2001
