Indian hockey player Yuvraj Walmiki recently joined NewsX for an exclusive conversation as a part of the India A-list series. Recognised for excellence in sports and arts, Yuvraj spoke in detail about his journey, admiration for hockey, the turning point of his career, and much more.
Speaking about his journey, he said, “It was never planned. It was decided in 1999. I was 10 years old. My friend Bhuwan D’Souza’s dad used to work in the hockey stadium as a doctor. There is a newspaper in Mumbai called The Free Press Journal. He came up with a small passport size picture and said, ‘Yuvi, my picture has come in the newspaper’. Everyone in the class went gaga over Bhuwan’s picture in the newspaper. I decided that day that I want to see my picture in a newspaper. So, I will be very honest, I started playing hockey only because I wanted to see my picture in a newspaper. Eventually, it became a passion. Today, I will happily say that it is the source of my bread and butter.”
Explaining why he chose hockey over any other sport, Yuvraj said, “Considering my family issues, it was very difficult to even afford a bat. I told Bhuwan that I won’t be able to afford a hockey stick or a ball. He said, ‘Don’t worry, I was raised in the stadium. There are a lot of players who give me their sticks so I have a spare stick for you’. I was encouraged to play and that slowly became a passion.”
Talking about his family’s opinion regarding his career choice and the turning point of his career, he revealed, “Champions are the ones who sleep on hard floors and eat dal rice, not the ones who come from A/C room. This is what my belief is. When I told my mom that I want to play hockey she said, ‘okay, you can go ahead with it but if you want to play, you should make it big’. At the age of 15, I was earning more than my father. I thought that if I can earn well at the age of 15, I think the future is bright. Obviously, the one coach who made me was Bawa sir. The other coaches started polishing me and I kept shining.”
When asked about his special medal and match, Yuvraj responded, “The special moment for me was to wear the tricolour. For a population of 135 crore, we stand out in the top 18 and we stand out in the stadium. The first tournament was my debut South Asian Games when we won against Pakistan. The reason I say Pakistan is because when we won that game I never in my wildest dream thought that my life would change. When we landed from China to Delhi I never imagined that the crowd would be in thousands. CM Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray came to the airport. The first call I got was from Balasaheb Thackeray sir. When I met him he asked what I wanted. I said my house does not have electricity. By the time I went home, my house had electricity. So that one goal changed my life. I always quote myself that my journey has been from darkness to light.”
Sharing his journey as an actor, he expressed, “I think a little differently. Many people like me for it and others find it weird. I feel a person should grab any opportunity that they find. Being a Mumbaikar, it is easy to find a role because it is the Bollywood city.”
Yuvraj further spoke of the need for more hockey players to come in the front and talk about their accomplishments. He said, “When we won the 1983 cricket world cup, from there they took over. Despite winning in hockey in 1975, we did not capitalise on the marketing side. Now, the era is different. We have revived hockey. Now, it is time to concentrate on the domestic and grassroots level because youth are the future of the country. I think we should make sports compulsory in schools.”