NEW DELHI: Leading into the much-awaited Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, Hockey India on Thursday released a curated coffee table book titled ‘The Illustrated History of Indian Hockey: A Saga of Triumph, Pain and Dreams’ capturing the glorious journey of one of India’s most celebrated sports.
Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, released the book alongside FIH & IOA President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, Hockey India President Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad, Hockey India Secretary General Rajinder Singh and Hockey India CEO Elena Norman, the book publishers and editors as well as prominent and legendary Indian Hockey players.
The book was researched and written by senior sports journalist, V Krishnaswamy, who has covered sport in over 40 countries and covered seven Olympic Games, nine Asian Games and seven Commonwealth Games, before numerous other international events in various sports.
Speaking on the occasion Hon’ble Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley said, “Preserving history is very important, we often preserve it in the form of museums, publications and now a days as audio visuals. Publications like a coffee table book become very important as they are easy read with beautiful pictures. I am quite happy with the way Hockey has developed in the country over the last decade and I would like to wish the team all the very best for the upcoming World Cup.”
“I believe this is the best occasion to launch a book which documents the illustrious history of Indian Hockey. We are less than a week away from the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup and it was essential for a nation with such a rich history in the sport to be able to read and relive it’s glorious past.” said President FIH and IOA, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra.
“It’s a matter of great pride for us to document and publish India’s illustrious journey with a sport which goes back to over a century of its existence in India. With the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 just around the corner, there would have been no better time than this to release this book for all hockey fans and sporting enthusiasts. I would like to congratulate the authors, publishers and our team for the wonderful compilation of this book.” said Hockey India President, Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad.
The first-of-its-kind book is enriched with a huge reservoir of historical and other interesting hockey trivia, for readers.
