An evening with M K Kaushik

After some hit and trails, I finally met M K Kaushik, current Indian Womens' Hockey team coach.
Yet another, down to earth person, who lives for his passion, Hockey, Kaushik saheb comes across as a person who has a lot to say about the System of whom he is a part of but doesn't forget the most important lessons of life, which many of us forget many times, i.e. Laugh and smile keeps one young all the time.
While talking to him, I realized how easy it is for people to comment that Hockey personnels are always involved in negative publicity of the game whereas the reality is sometimes extremely painful to even listen.
Eager to hear what the other person has to share, Kaushik saheb is simplicity personified. Carrying no air of a national level coach or Deputy Director of Haryana Sports Department, Kaushik saheb, knows how to connect to people immediately.
With a gesture of hospitality, Kaushik himself got up and offered us some cold drinks.
I feel at an age of 50+ people resist 'change' but disputing this (mis)conception of mine, Kaushik saheb has no qualms in admitting that he doesn't know much about the Internet World. However, reflecting the true trait of a coach, his next line is, "But I am eager to learn more of it and have sent a few emails successfully in the past few days."
Sharing the good old times, when he was a player, the times when he was the coach at the Bangkok Asiad in 1998, the turbulent times after the writing of "The Golden Boot" to his experiences with Indian Womens' Hockey team, his dealings with the adminstration, his work for Chak De India movie, it was a celebration to spend a couple of hours with one of most respected persons of Hockey personality - Maharaj Krishan Kaushik - A person, who has attempted his best, amongst severe pressure from all spheres, to live for only one thing: Hockey.
Long live passionate people like him.