I am deeply anguished to know that the legendary colour of the Indian hockey team’s jersey has been changed to saffron. The iconic shade of blue of the Indian hockey team is not just a colour. It is an emotion associated with the nation’s sporting heritage.
For decades, this colour united us in hope, in victory, in defeat and in the pursuit of sporting excellence. We have cried, laughed, celebrated and stood proudly with our men and women in blue. Wearing the blue jersey our teams have won Olympic medals with the national anthem playing on the world stage. #Blue is derived from the blue chakra in our national flag. It is a symbol of our national pride and identity. The colour blue belongs to every Indian.
When the national hockey teams were struggling for sponsors, #Odisha created history by being the first and only state to support our national teams and our beloved game. Every Odia across the globe was proud of the state’s gift to national hockey. After 41 long years, our men’s team won an Olympic medal. Just because the government changed in Odisha, it should not change our national team colours. This is petty politics of the worst kind.
Our blue jersey is to us what the iconic stripes are to Argentina and the yellow jersey is to Brazil. It is etched in our collective memory. Any change in this colour, is a crass attempt to erase our priceless sporting legacy. National symbols are meant to unite us not divide.
I am given to understand that this step was taken under pressure from the BJP Government in Odisha. Those in authority may deny it, but the fact is that for the last two years, everybody in Odisha has seen the obsession of this government with changing colours of buildings, buses and even bridges. It is the only work that is happening in Odisha today. But now the same government has changed the colours of our national team. I strongly condemn this attempt by BJP Odisha to politicise a national game like hockey. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of lakhs of sports lovers across the country and the pride with which Odisha has supported the national hockey.
#Hockey
#MenInBlue
#WomenInBlue
Irony just died again. The cleanest man in Indian politics did not need an SC certificate of his integrity. Instead it is those who sought to implicate him in these charges who ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
In a recent interview with News18 Odia, Subroto Bagchi shared a deeply personal decision when asked about his donations.
He said, “We have two daughters, and they told us they don’t want to inherit our money.”
That inspired Subroto Bagchi and his wife, Susmita Bagchi, to dedicate most of their wealth to the service of society.
Their major contributions till date:
> Rs 340 crore for the Cancer Super Speciality Hospital & Palliative Care in Bhubaneswar.
> Rs 212.5 crore for an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
> Rs 55 crore to establish the Bagchi School of Public Health at Ahmedabad University.
What makes the story even more remarkable is that Subroto Bagchi still doesn’t own a car and continues to travel in hired vehicles.
A legacy built not on possessions, but on purpose.