Parattu Raveendran Sreejech — God from God’s Own Country

Sreejesh retired. After back-to-back Olympic gold medals. At the age of 38, and playing for India for 18 long years.

Anytime there had been a discussion about retirement — Sreejesh said he is like wine and becomes better as he ages. Yes, we all enjoyed that wine.

Hockey had once been a great sport for India, but there had been a steady decline post-independence. The reasons are many and possibly there is another space to discuss that — but today is where we should celebrate its arrival after a long hiatus. Almost 50 years it has taken us to come to medal hunting (excluding boycotted Moscow of course).

The final pulsating moments of the match. I am sure no time in the recent past united Indians as much as it did. And in the final moments of his final match for the nation, Parattu Raveendran Sreejech stood tall again.

Indian hockey — both men and women, had always been great stories of sacrifice, grit, and focus — often from not-so-privileged backgrounds. Sreejesh is no exception.

From a farmer’s family in a state where hockey does not count much as a sport, Sreejesh was identified early as a sporting talent and sent off to a school in Thiruvananthapuram, 200 km away from his village. The lollipop? A government job in sports quota.

Many years down the line, from not having 1,500 rupees to buy a kit bag when called for nationals, to Asiad, multiple Olympics, and being called “The Wall” who stood between hope and despair for the nation in the dying seconds.

Sreejesh is still the small-town boy. Lives in the same house, has no big cars, no designer clothes, no media nautanki. Even seen last year cleaning the street in front of his house (which is named after him), asking “If not me, who will?”

Great to know such a pure godly soul exists at such exalted levels of excellence, and dignity. Maybe God’s Own Country can answer.

And yes, he is again on the goalpost — he says that is with which he spent most time while on the field.