Hailed as the most dangerous hockey drag-flickers of all time with drag speeds of over 145 km/hr which led to his nickname, ‘Flicker Singh’, Sandeep Singh’s inspirational story is being adapted for screen. The role of the hockey legend and the ex-Captain of the Indian National Hockey Team is essayed by Diljit Dosanjh. The man on whom the biopic is based opened up about his journey from his downfall to his return to the field. at TEDxChandigarh 2018 Conference earlier this year.
His tale is a searing testament of perseverance and humility. After an accident, he was partially paralysed and spent close to 2 years in a wheel chair. Here are some excerpts that shine a light on his comeback.
At the onset Sandeep Singh tells us how he stumbled upon the sport. A burning passion didn’t lead him to hockey.
“Hockey se pyar toh karta tha magar khlena ki iccha nahi hui,” he says. Watching his elder brother, a hockey player gearing up for the game, Singh was lured by his sports shoes, the hockey stick and his attire. His folks then told him, “Kheloge tabhi milega”.
An innocent whim spurred him into the sport. Soon he was idolising Dhanraj Pillai. He was selected in the Indian hockey team in 2003. In 2005, he earned the distinction of scoring the most goals in the Junior World Cup. He was then hellbent on inspiring a sense of awe in the senior team as ‘Flicker Singh’.
In 2006 when he was immersed in upping his game and getting trained in defence and drag-flicking training, his world turned upside down. Singh was set to play in the Senior Wold Cup in Germany. On 22 August 2016, when he took a seat in a Delhi-bound train, a sensation of his body being flung in the air followed a reverberating sound. An excruciating pain followed - like an iron road piercing his lower back. A man stood in front of him with a gun in his hand saying, “Mujh se galti se goli chal gayi.” It was a 9 mm pistol.
He was taken to the Chandigarh hospital where he was operated upon. Singh regained his consciousness after four weeks. The doctors affirmed that his survival was a miracle but they wrote his recovery off. Unwilling to embrace this negativity, he asked his brother to get him a hockey stick - a reminder of his dreams. He kept the stick as a talisman, slept with it by his side. The obsessive idea of playing for India kept him up at nights. He had to be put on sleeping pills. His brother helped him sneak out at nights to the field.
“Jis hockey stick ke saath main khelta tha, ussi hockey stick ke saath main uthne ki koshish kar raha tha.”Sandeep Singh
After a lot of effort, he started walking with the wall for support. He managed to get himself on a wheelchair. He was then sent abroad for rehab by the Hockey federation due to the paucity of rehab centres in India.
“I went there on a wheelchair and came back walking on my feet after 7 months.”Sandeep Singh, ex-hockey captain
With light jogging, he started training again but there was always the troubling question - “Sandeep Singh fit nahi hai?” After some success in a tournament, he approached the Hockey Foundation for a chance to play for the Indian team. In 2008, he was a part of the team that bagged the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. A top scorer, he made 8 goals and was announced the captain.
In 2009, under his captaincy, the Indian team won the Sultan Azlan Shah semi-final with Pakistan. The finals saw the team’s victory after 13 years and Singh won the title of the Player of the Tournament.
For his achievements in field of hockey, Sandeep Singh was recognised with the Arjuna Award in 2010. He represented India in the 2012 Olympic games where he scored the highest number of goals in the qualifiers and even broke his idol Dhanraj Pillai’s record. A definitive match, it sealed his fate. Singh considers that match his rebirth. It was also incidentally his birthday.
He wraps up his talk and says, “Never give up. A solid fighter accepts challenges. Don’t stop at success - it would be the end of success. Nothing is more fulfilling than setting and achieving your goals.”
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