Early Hockey in India, tournaments galore

By DILJIT SINGH BAHRA



INDIA, for many, is a hockey nation. However, it is difficult to say exactly when field hockey was first introduced there but it could conclusively be said that it was going very strong in 1900 and even a couple of decades earlier. Hockey on horsebacks, now known as Polo, was played in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the 1860s and Calcutta Hockey Club was in existence in 1864.