Hamirpur: A hockey player who was once compared with one of the greatest hockey legends Dhyan Chand is now leading a life in oblivion.
National hockey player Subhash Chand's days are now spent in his shop-situated in front of Town Hall in Hamirpur- where he has been stitching shoes for the past few years.
In 1977, he played his first national match at junior level, followed by two inter-university games and two national matches at senior level.
Goalkeeper Chand did not have hockey-pads and had to borrow it from a school student.
"During those days, we did not have many sports facilities as budget was a constraint too. I did not even have a hockey stick to practice," recalled Subhash Chand.
Later, in 1984, Subhash Chand got a diploma from Industrial Training Institute, but failed to get a job anywhere which forced him to take up the ancestral work of shoe-making to support his family.
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Despite playing six national games, the government did not provide any aid to him.
Given the circumstances, Chand refrained his children from getting involved in sports. Currently, his daughter and son are employed in a private company after completing their M. Tech and BSc, respectively.
A social organisation in Chamba district took an initiative to help Subhash Chand and wrote a letter to Prime Minster Narendra Modi seeking financial help but till now there has been no response.
India has seen many legends in the field of sports and tales like Subhash Chand's only raises the question- Has Cricket overshadowed other sports?
