Hockey’s Iqbal waits for moment in the sun

In 2005, when actor Shreyas Talpade was handed the role of a deaf and dumb cricketer in Iqbal, he did not know how to portray the character. Team sport is all about communication and discussing strategy, but this was a different challenge.

Talpade bought DVDs of sign language and spent days understanding how the mind and eyes would have to play a greater role than mere words on the field.

It was just two months of training and a deeper understanding of a different aspect of life for Talpade, but for hockey goalkeeper Abdul Samad, it is a way of life.

Like Talpade’s character in Iqbal, Samad too cannot hear or speak. He is a goalkeeper in the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and has been training under 1975 World Cup winning member Ashok Kumar — son of the legendary Dhyan Chand — and is acknowledged as one of the toughest characters on the field by none other than former India skipper Dhanraj Pillay.

Samad has played in 10 nationals so far, and was declared the tournament’s best goalkeeper in the 2015 Scindia Gold Cup in Gwalior, where MP finished runners-up. Samad was the hero of the team, as he did not let in a single goal en route to the final.

But unlike the movie Iqbal and its characters, who basked in the movie’s success, Samad has been fighting a lone, grim battle.

In a household of three brothers and ageing parents, Samad is the eldest at 26. Years of hard work haven’t got him a job and the family has begun to wonder if choosing sport as a profession was a wise decision. Younger brother, Qadir, is mentally challenged while the youngest of the family, Suboor, is an upcoming Under-21 hockey player.

In the last few years, Samad has applied for jobs in various departments on sport quota and has cleared trials too. He though is rejected each time on medical grounds.

Says Ashok Kumar, “Samad is an epitome of hard work and talent. There is nothing that this boy cannot do that a regular goalkeeper manages on the field. I think such people use their sixth sense, and it might sound strange, but he understands everything from our team meetings and I have never felt the need to repeat something to him.

“He has even taught sign language to his team mates. He is the backbone of our team.”

Samad learnt hockey at the age of 10 from his father Abdul Wahab, also a national level player. His journey begun with the Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, but he was later rejected by the SAI Academy because of his condition.

Says the Bhopal-based Samad through his brother, “I felt very bad at that time, but I asked them to give me a chance. I told them, ‘select me only if you find me capable’.

“They liked my game and I got selected. It has been a long journey and I dream of playing for the country. I want everyone to be proud of me.”

Adds Ashok Kumar, “He is rejected every time on medical grounds and is heartbroken. I wish there was a way ahead for him to earn his livelihood as he deserves it.”

Suboor, 19, says “the family’s financial condition isn’t very good”.

“We do not know what to do. He is doing what every other sportsperson does for his state, so why this difference Is being handicapped a crime

“We have also approached Hockey India and have written to the Prime Minister and other officials.

“In the Rio Olympics, USA’s basketball had a team member David Smith, who is deaf. Yet, he was included and made to feel like other players. So, why cannot the same happen in India The least my brother can get is a job.” The household has many questions, but the answers haven’t been forthcoming.

In all these years Samad has overcome the battle with disability, but seems to be losing the war with the authorities.