Kaushik was like a Godfather to me: Mukesh

“He was devoted, simple, and most importantly a lovely human being. He was passionate about his game,” recalled three-time Olympian N Mukesh Kumar, who himself was a right-winger.

Hyderabad: Maharaj Krishan Kaushik’s death has left a big void in Indian hockey. He had a distinguished career as a speedy right-winger and then as a results-oriented coach.

“He was devoted, simple, and most importantly a lovely human being. He was passionate about his game,” recalled three-time Olympian N Mukesh Kumar, who himself was a right-winger.

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“It is a personal loss for me. Apart from being my coach, he was like a Godfather to me and my wife Nidhi. But for his meticulous planning as a coach, India would have never had won a gold medal in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. It was also a double delight for me as it was at the initiative of Kaushik sir I could marry Nidhi,” said Mukesh. Nidhi Khullar was a right-winger and a member of the Indian women’s team that won a silver medal in Bangkok.

Recalling that incident, the Hyderabad player said after the Games, he went for a shopping trip in Bangkok along with Kaushik and Mir Ranjan Negi.

“There he asked me about my marriage and I casually mentioned Nidhi, though I did not propose to her till then. The next moment Kaushik had disappeared and he was in a telephone booth. I didn’t know what happened but he came out of the booth with a smile. Apparently, he talked with Nidhi’s parents and took their approval of his proposal. I was caught napping.

“The next day we were to leave for India but Nidhi came along with her friend to the hotel. Kaushik nodded with a smile and Nidhi took out a ring and wore it to me. My engagement was done in front of Kaushik and the rest of the Indian team members,” said the 51-year-old.

According to Mukesh, India winning a gold medal after 32 years was a huge achievement.

“India somehow fumbled in the Asian Games those days, either losing to South Korea or Pakistan. Kaushik was a man on a mission. A quiet man, Kaushik knew about his job. He was intelligent and the first thing he did was to bring closer relations among the senior players. He would make it a point to meet at NIS Director MP Ganesh’s house at the camp in Bangalore. He knew that there were three teams that would trouble India. They were Japan, Korea, and arch-rivals Pakistan. Aware of Japan as speedy customers, Kaushik spent three good days chalking out the plan against them. We won 1-0 against Japan. We grew in confidence but there were a few issues like the differences among the senior players. He summoned all the senior players and had a candid talk. In a simple and friendly way, he conveyed the message – play and win gold for your country. It was a Chak De movement. It worked like magic. The differences were buried and India emerged champions in the end. He was a player’s coach,” added Mukesh.

Mukesh said Kaushik never tampered with the technique of the players. “He read the game beautifully and he would accordingly strategise the game. He always came in for player’s support which was not to the liking of the administrators. That ended his tenure with the Indian team as a coach. It proved costly for India. If he had continued, maybe India would have won the gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.”

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