Hockey in our Hearts
On January 11, the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack was bustling with activity. And no, it was not for cricket, a game for which the field is famous for. Over 40 000 spectators thronged the oldest Stadium of Odisha, nestled in the silver city to watch the grand opening of the 15th edition of FIH Men's Hockey World Cup.
The excitement for the upcoming mega celebration was palpable- through the length and breadth of Odisha much ahead of the D-Day. Everyone was eagerly looking up to the star-studded ceremony lined with a kaleidoscope of cultural events. The people of Cuttack, which hosted the event, welcomed the trophy with open arms after the Jagatsinghpur district administration handed it over to the Cuttack district administration on Tuesday. The trophy was kept at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. The following day, that is on the opening day, the trophy toured the city and received a grand welcome from students, people, and organizations of the city before arriving at the venue.
The opening ceremony took place amidst much pomp and show. It was inaugurated by the h chief minister of Odisha, Naveen le Patnaik. Patnaik, who is regarded p as the architect of modern Indian Hockey. welcomed Anurag t Thakur, union sports minister, Tayyab Ikram, president of International Hockey Federation, delegates and players to the state. He spoke of how the state is known for its hospitality and how he hoped that the people coming here would take a piece of Odisha back with them. Patnaik thanked the PM and the central government for supporting Odisha in this endeavour.
The evening witnessed a cultural extravaganza. Renowned national and international artists gave a wonderful performance. The program me was enriched by the mesmerizing performance of Odisha exponent Guru Aruna Mohanty's troupe. Performed by local artists, it was a fusion of sever- al dance forms. Bollywood mu- sic director Pritam, who has composed the music of the World Cup anthem 'Hockey Hai Dil Mera', performed the number with the 11 original singers who have lent the voice for the song. Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade, Niti Mohan, Shriram, Nakash Aziz and others performed on several Bollywood hit numbers. Renowned singers from the state such as Sniti Mishra, Namita Toppo,