Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today wrote to Prime Minister Modi to declare hockey as India’s national game.
Hon’ble CM urged PM MODI to declare Hockey as our National Game .#HockeyForNationalGame pic.twitter.com/HF0cUUl5ny
— Naveenism (@Naveenism2) June 20, 2018
In his letter, Patnaik mentions how winning an Olympic gold medal in a game, hearing the national anthem being played in the background is a matter of such pride. He reminds how in 1948, the new country, India, won the Olympic gold in London, mentioning how prior to 1947 how Great Britain avoided playing hockey with India fearing embarrassment of losing against its colony. He mentions the glorious history of the sport and how it is hugely popular even in rural India.
Patnaik said that since Odisha is hosting the World Cup Hockey, which is scheduled to be held later this year in November, he learnt that hockey is not the national game of India. He expressed shock and surprise that what is popularly known as the national game is not really the national game as it has never been notified.
He urged the Prime Minister to notify the game as the national game as a fitting tribute to the players and the game which have made our country proud.
The letter came as surprise to most as most of us have grown up being taught in school books that hockey is our national game, but sadly, that is not the case. As per reports, an RTI was filed back in 2012 where the Ministry of Youth Affairs had replied that the country does not have a national game as no game has been notified yet.
The Government of India website, too, does not list hockey as the national game.
