Airlines Deals

In 1991, when Kerala Police won football’s Federation Cup, it was the first time in the country’s sporting history that an institutional team was winning respective Federation Cups in volleyball and basketball too. With the cream of Kerala’s sportsmen turning out in their chosen disciplines, it was high noon for the state police force.

Today, many members of the 1986 Seoul Asian Games bronze-winning volleyball team are happily serving as policemen. There is Abdul Razzaq, Uday Kumar, Cryrill Vallor and player-manager S Gopinath. Gopinath, incidentally, is the highest-ranked sportsman in Kerala Police - he is superintendent of police in Kollam district.

Alternately, the country’s biggest employers of sportspersons, the Railways, too was teeming with international-level sportspersons - mainly athletes - from Kerala.

Recalls PT Usha at her home at Payyoli: “My decision to join the Railways was based on the fact that their office was in Calicut, which was close to my home, whereas Indian Airlines operated only out of Ernakulam.

“As for picking a job, that was the sole criteria. Today it has changed. The Railways office has shifted further away to Pallakkad while Airlines have extended operations to Calicut.”

The 80s saw a number of athletes like Padmini Thomas, MD Valsamma, who hailed from remote areas, making waves. None of these athletes’ family members were involved in sport. VP Sathyan’s father Gopalan Nair retired from Kerala Police, but had little inkling or interest in his son’s footballing activities. How did these handful of athletes manage to get to the top? “Sheer hard work and commitment,” says Shiny Wilson, ace middle distance runner and a prime member of the ‘golden generation’.

“I never had an aim in the beginning but after the achievements at the national level, I dreamt of bringing laurels for the country. Medals alone motivated us,” says Shiny in Chennai, where she is currently based with her swimmer-husband Wilson Cherian.

The procurement of a department job back then was the accepted norm, but it was not the sole motivating factor. “I was only interested in running,” says Usha. “The job was just an assurance for the future.”

“As kids we had to travel miles to reach our school. Instead of walking I began running to the school and back,” recalls Shiny. “Slowly, running became a thrill as I always wanted to beat the boys who competed with me.

“I also started to compete in the school, where I finished first. The small prizes spurred me on.”

Today the trend, according to the athlete, has changed. There is a bigger rush to gain entry into the department teams as it ensures a rosy future. Sportspersons usually hail from the lower-economic groups and after finding a cushy job, the bigger picture is conveniently forgotten.

Shiny says the socio-economic scenario has changed over the years and that has had an impact on sport. ‘’There’s more money from the Gulf. People are more concerned about their kids taking up studies. They consider sports a wastage of time and energy. We cannot blame them. There are a number of athletes here who find it difficult to make both ends meet.

“Very few are taking up sports despite the vastly-improved facilities,” says Shiny, “Among those who do, the boys are choosing cricket. And the girls are all glued to the TV sets.”

“There is always a job for the medium-level sportsman in Kerala,” opines Sharaf Ali. “Holding on to an excellent sportsman is the real challenge for these departments and the state. Perhaps that is why one sees the demise of institutional teams in Kerala.”

Part of this flight, even if seems far and few between, has to do with regularising promotions in the departments. “For us, getting a job is hardly the end of the story. We know what problems we face once we are in a job, and when the time comes for promotions and increments, especially once our careers are over,” says Usha.

“There will always be heartburn for the regular employee when a sportsman is promoted out of turn. But that is the whole truth. How else would a sportsman’s worth be realised, especially when he can’t perform on the international stage anymore?” argues Sharaf Ali.

The general feeling is that occasional cash rewards by the state and Central governments are welcome, but in the longer run, they paint a wrong picture. It is almost as dole, not meant to last long.

Today, Shiny, like Valsamma, is on deputation from the Railways with Food Corporation of India, one of the few all-India departments still sticking to their sports policy, albeit with little results.

Usha chose to chart her own path by forming the Usha School of Athletics in 2002. With an outlay of Rs 89 lakhs, things after four years appear to be slowly taking shape. But there is fresh trouble on the horizon. After her girls repeatedly won the Kozhikode sub-junior championships, rival schools protested that Usha’s wards were too good to be competing at this level and should be debarred.

“Now, this,” reacts Usha incredulously. “My girls are only 14 and 15 years old, why stop them from running,” she asks.

In another time, this would have implied great flattery, but for the ordinary athlete in the dusk of her career, this is a new challenge. Usha, you have to keep running.

After all, you chose it.