Hockey
Discover the legacy and future of the Kodava Hockey Festival
The largest field hockey tournament in the world was organized after a four-year hiatus with renewed vigour and plans to take it to the next level.
As a fourth grader, Nikkin Thimmaiah would often be found standing at the sidelines of the Kodava Hockey Festival, watching his father, CT Aiyanna, work his magic on the ground. Nikkin had a few friends and a vociferous crowd for company, and like the rest, he would be all too consumed by the action unfolding in the middle.
Nikkin longed to be a part of the Chandanda team alongside his father and other family members. And he hoped to break their quarterfinal jinx and take the team to a final in the near future.
Three years later, Nikkin’s opportunity arrived. The youngest player on the side had a memorable debut, scoring the lone goal in their 1-0 win. It was the start of his illustrious hockey journey that culminated in representing the Indian national team at the biggest multi-sport competition in the world in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. And to his delight, he was able to help the Chandanda team to two memorable title triumphs in 2016 and 2017.
“Like me, there are a lot of kids who take up hockey because of this festival (Kodava Hockey Festival). I too was starstruck to see my seniors from school in action here, to hear how my father had inspired so many other players. It was when I decided to pursue the sport seriously,” Nikkin recalls.
Nikkin Thimmaiah in action during the final of Kodava Hockey Festival 2018
© Ajay D'Souza
A family affair
It’s what the festival means to the Kodava community from the hills of Karnataka. With the onset of spring, Napoklu in Kodagu district comes to a standstill for three weeks in March-April. What makes the action at the General Thimayya Ground truly unique is that every team comprises members of a single family. Age is no bar, neither is gender.
“There have been instances of three generations playing together. This year, we had a father, his son and daughter in-law playing for the same team. A three-year-old got his first taste of the action, while an octogenarian played the entire duration of a match. It is why we like to call it a festival, not a tournament, though the competitive edge catches up in the latter stages,” says Pandanda K Bopanna, president of the Kodava Hockey Academy, under whose aegis the event is conducted.
It all started in 1997 when Bopanna’s father, Pandanda Kuttappa, a retired banker, wanted to do something to bring the Kodava community together. Hockey was certainly on his mind.
“We have a rich tradition of serving the Armed forces. The British were already playing hockey and they found that the Kodavas had taken to the sport well. With a little bit of encouragement, the sport caught on,” says Navin Poonacha Kanganda, who has been instrumental in promoting the festival in the digital space.
Action from the Kodava Hockey Festival 2023 final
© Nikhil Shetty
Record-breaking numbers
Each year, the festival is hosted by a single Kodava family, who look into every aspect of putting together a flawless affair. The Appachettolanda family had their hands full with organizing the 23rd edition of the festival conducted from 18th March to 9th April 2023 due to the fact that the event was being organised after a gap of four years. Floods in 2019 and the Covid pandemic in subsequent years forced a short hiatus to the festival that had been conducted every year prior since inception.
“The planning [for the 2023 edition] started in August 2022. We are a big family, about 160 members from various age groups who come with different ideas. So collecting these thoughts and arriving at concrete, deliverable action takes time. The main challenge was to continue drawing the numbers that the festival has attracted in the past,” says Appachettolanda Somanna.
And they certainly didn’t disappoint. What started out with 60 teams in the inaugural edition in 1997 expanded to a record 336 teams in 2023, which in turn translates to roughly 5,000 players in all. Crowds thronged the venue, packing the stands that could accommodate around 22,000 spectators. In fact, the demand from the expanding audience was such that they had to set up a screen adjacent to the ground for the final.
Action from the Kodava Hockey Festival 2023 final
© Nikhil Shetty
Spotting talent
The festival has today achieved a number of goals that Kuttappa had in mind. The bonding within the Kodava community that he desired has even led to matchmaking among a few families during the festival.
It has given fans the opportunity to witness the prowess of Olympians and international-level players from the region, who were previously spotted only on television. It has also inspired budding youngsters to take up the stick and handed them a platform to showcase their skills.
Mathanda Aryan Uthappa is one such talent who has blossomed at the festival. For three editions, the 17-year-old cheered from the bench, picking up vital experience along the way. Today, he is taking on the grind having spent time at Sports Hostel Ponnampet; he aspires to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, KK Poonacha, an India international who played at the 1994 World Cup in Sydney.
“There’s a lot of competition within our family to be among the playing 11. My turn arrived only in the sixth grade. Alongside, I got on the school team and soon joined Sports Hostel Ponnampet, before moving to Bengaluru,” Aryan says.
His team lost in the fifth round of the 2023 Kodava Hockey Festival to the eventual runners-up. But for his five goals, Aryan was handed the ‘Upcoming Player’ award.
“This festival gives us recognition. People start noticing our talent and the word spreads. In the past, it has created opportunities for a number of players who’ve gone places,” Aryan adds.
A finalist prepares for action at Kodava Hockey Festival 2023
© Nikhil Shetty
Revival of hockey
Another regular these days is Soumya Napanda, who has been representing her family since 2016. The 23-year-old went on to play for Karnataka at the national level, even picking up silver at the Khelo India University Games in 2022. And though her team was eliminated in the fourth round, her performance landed her the “Best Female Player’ crown this year.
“I’m the only woman in my family who plays hockey. I would find it strange initially, but I’m quite used to it now,” Soumya says, giggling.
For the last three years, Soumya has been looking for a government job through the sports quota but to no avail. Even as her search continues, she dreams of representing the country some day. There was a time when the Kodavas regularly featured on the Indian national team. There’s been a dearth of late, which Bopanna believes has a lot to do with the lack of support for the game.
“People are not considering it as a career option because they don’t get employment through the sport. I plan on writing to banks and public sector units to revive their hockey teams, besides schools and colleges in Bengaluru and Mysuru,” Bopanna says.
Action from the Kodava Hockey Festival 2023 final
© Nikhil Shetty
Future plans
The Kodava Hockey Academy also plans on running camps during vacations. In the long run, they hope to acquire land and have their own infrastructure in place, where they can groom the next generation of players.
“There were some quality games this year after the pre-quarterfinal stage, the speed on par with what is observed on Astroturf. One of the points on the agenda was Mission National Squad, where we have identified young players and mobilised donors to support with gear. It’s time to draw these youngsters from their shell,” Navin says.
Nikkin for one is aware of how the festival helped him progress up the ranks. He wants more youngsters from Kodagu to step up and take to the sport.
“The standard of play at the festival has vastly improved. There is tremendous potential and the players just need to work harder to earn their spot on the national squad,” Nikkin says.
The preparation for the 2024 edition is already underway. In fact, families have stepped up to reserve hosting rights all the way until 2026.
“It all started through my father’s retirement corpus. Now there are sponsors onboard and we’ve also received government assurance in terms of a grant,” Bopanna says.
The Kodava Hockey Festival has certainly come a long way.
Team Kuppanda were the champions of Kodava Hockey Festival 2023
© Nikhil Shetty