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Looking hence: 

2031 plan for five towns 

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Haryana, jewel in 

September 2012, Vol 26, Issue 9 , Rs 15 

Indian Olympic crown

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CHIEF PATROn 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda 

PATROn 

Pt Shiv Charan Lal Sharma 

EDITOR-In-CHIEF 

Dr K K Khandelwal 

CHIEF EDITOR 

Anand Mohan Sharan 

MAnAGInG EDITOR 

M S Yadav 

COnSULTInG EDITOR 

Parveen K Modi 

nEWS BUREAU 

Ruchi Sharma 

Swati Sethi 

COPY DESK 

Shweta Vashishta 

LAYOUT 

Sunil Kumar 

ILLUSTRATOR 

Gurpreet Singh 

PHOTOGRAPHER 

Randeep Singh 

PHOTO SUPPORT 

Gopal Singh 

Karam Singh 

Neeraj Chopra 

Gauri Shankar 

Jasmer Singh 

VOL 26, ISSUE 9, SEPTEMBER 2012 

Edited and published for the Haryana Government 

by Anand Mohan Sharan, IAS, Director General, 

Information, Public Relations & Cultural Affairs 

Department, and issued from Samvad, SCO No 137, 

Sector 17, Panchkula (Haryana). (Mailing address: 

SCO 23 (FF), Sector 7, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh. 

Phone 0172-5055971, 5055977). 

All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this 

publication’s contents, in whole or in part, without 

written permission, is prohibited. Haryana Review 

does not necessarily agree with the views of the 

writers/contributors. 

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Printed at: M/s New PrintIndia Pvt Ltd, A-5, 

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Due to unavoidable circumstances, the June and July issues 

of Haryana Review could not be printed on time. These have 

been uploaded on the website www.haryanasamvad.gov.in. 

Sure, our readers will bear with us. 

EDITORIAL 

Haryana basks in Olympic glory 

F rom cornering glory to becoming the crowning 

glory of London Olympics. Thus reads the tale of 

the journey of the tiny state of Haryana on the road to 

Olympics. Out of the two silver and four bronze medals 

won by India, the players from Haryana account for 

four—one silver and three bronze. Winning four out of 

the six medals bagged by the country, Haryana, which 

accounts for just two per cent of the total population of 

the country, and 19 out of the 81-strong contingent India 

sent to London, has indeed wrapped itself with glory. 

Not sitting on the Olympian laurels, both players and 

the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, have 

begun to look hence and aim still higher. In 2004 

Olympics at Athens, the players from Haryana won no 

medal; in 2008 the state bagged two; and in 2012, four 

medals. For the 2016 Olympics to be held at Rio De 

Janeiro in Brazil, Mr Hooda, architect of Haryana’s 

much acclaimed sports policy, has set the target of 12 

medals and also doubled the award money to Rs 5 crore 

for gold (at present Rs 2.5 crore); Rs 3 crore for silver (Rs 

1.5 crore) and Rs 2 crore for bronze (Rs 1 crore). 

Needless to emphasise, the credit for putting Haryana 

on the global sporting map goes as much to the 

dedication and hard work put in by the players as to the 

sports policy of Haryana. Three distinct features make 

Haryana’s innovative and futuristic sports policy stand 

out: infrastructure development, talent hunt and 

training, and an assured future. And these have 

decidedly served the players as a great motivator. 

Our cover report and Photo Feature seek to capture 

the Olympics in true colours and bring to our readers 

how Haryana has travelled a long distance to occupy the 

pride of place in the field of sports. 

Besides, we have a special report on the 2031 draft 

development plan for five Haryana towns– 

Kurukshetra, Farukhnagar, Sohna, Rohtak and 

Pataudi-Haily Mandi–which will completely change the 

face of these towns. The Haryana Government has 

embarked on a mission to set right the skewed sex ratio 

in the state and taken some path-breaking initiatives in 

this direction. Read about it in our report on zero 

tolerance to sex tests and female foeticide. 

We have captured the beauty and avian diversity of 

Morni hills in our tourism section and the 

magnificence of glass paintings in our art and culture 

section. So read on. Starting this issue, we are 

introducing a quiz which is going to appear every 

month on the last page. Put on your thinking caps and 

‘Judge yourself ’. g 

1

2 

CONTENTS HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

[7] 

[14] 

Ye 

khiladi to hamare 

hero sei. Hum bhi inke 

jaise medal lakar desh 

aur Haryana ka naam 

roshan karenge... 

Hooda sarkaar ki 

khel neetiyan aur 

khiladion ki mehnat 

khoob rang laee sei... 

COVER STORY 

Haryana, jewel in the Olympic crown p 4 

Sushil sets sights on gold at Rio p 10 

Back-to-back win–Celebrations all the way p 12 

Yogeshwar fulfills father’s dream p 14 

Shooting to win & inspire p 16 

Saina: It is just the beginning p 18 

Coaching to win p 20 

London Olympics 2012- a photo feature p 22 

Tracing history of Olympics p 32 

contents 

Haryana Review tracks success 

of Haryana Olympic players p 34 

Great motivator: Sports policy of Haryana p 36 

Infra here bridges rural–urban divide p 38 

Catching and grooming young talent p 40

HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

SPECIAL REPORT 

Looking hence: 2031 plan p 42 

for five Haryana towns 

REPORT 

Zero tolerance to sex tests p 48 

& female foeticide 

TOURISM 

Morni: Birds and beauty aplenty p 50 

nEWS In CAPSULE 

The month that was p 52 

ART AnD CULTURE 

Beauty is glass deep p 54 

LAST PAGE 

Judge yourself p 56 

[54] 

[49] 

[29] 

CONTENTS 3 

[51] 

Readers may send their comments to haryanareview@gmail.com or to 

SCO 23, First Floor, Sector 7-C, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh - 160019. 

Those who have changed their address should intimate it to Deputy Director Magazine, 

SCO 24, Top Floor, Sector 7-C, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh - 160019. Ph. 0172-5055971

4 

COVER STORY HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Haryana, jewel in In 

With its players 

winning four out of 

the six medals India 

bagged in London 

Olympics, Haryana 

has wrapped itself 

with Olympic glory. 

And the glory looks 

glorified still given 

the fact that the small 

state accounts for 

just two per cent of 

the total population 

of the country 


The tiny state of Haryana has 

emerged as a jewel in the Olympic 

crown of India. The players from 

Haryana have bagged four medals–one 

silver and three bronze–out of the 

six–two silver, four bronze–won by 

India in London Olympics. Haryana 

has wrapped itself with Olympic glory. 

And the glory looks glorified still 

given the fact that the small state 

accounts for just two per cent of the 

total population of the country. Quite 

an incredible achievement indeed! 

If India has doubled its medals tally 

from three in Beijing Olympics in 2008 

to six in London, Haryana too has 

doubled its tally from two to four. The 

same yardstick applies to the number 

of players from Haryana who 

participated in London Games. Out of 

the 81 players who represented India 

in London, 19 belonged to Haryana, 

more than double the number that 

took part in Beijing Olympics four 

years ago. 

Even as Haryana basks in the glory 

of Olympics, both players and the 

Haryana Government, led by the Chief 

Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, 

have begun to look hence and aim 

higher. While the Chief Minister has 

set the target of 12 medals for the Rio 

De Janeiro Olympics to be held in 

2016, he has doubled the award money 

to be given to the medal winners: Rs 5 

crore for gold (Rs 2.5 crore at present); 

Rs 3 crore for silver (Rs 1.5 crore); and 

Rs 2 crore for bronze (Rs 1 crore). 

Besides the zeal, dedication and 

commitment of the players, credit for 

this incredible feat of placing Haryana 

on the global sporting canvas, goes to 

the sports culture systematically 

cultivated and consciously nurtured 

by the Hooda Government. Giving a 

purposeful direction to the energies of 

the youth, the sports policy of the 

state government seeks to give the 

players a conducive environment, 

infrastructure for training, and, more 

importantly, an assured future, 

including jobs, a factor that has played 

a decisive role and served the players


as a great motivator. 

“In 2004 Olympics at Athens, the 

players from Haryana won no medal; 

in 2008 the state bagged two medals, 

and in 2012, we won four medals; and 

now for the 2016 Olympics to be held at 

Rio in Brazil, the target for Haryana 

players has been fixed at 12 medals”, 

Mr Hooda said while speaking at the 

state-level function held at Gohana 

Mandi in Sonipat district, to honour 

the winners and players. 

The Chief Minister lauded the 

players who have brought laurels to 

the country in London Olympics. 

“Today, the people of Haryana happily 

greet them. They have come to this 

function from different parts of the 

state to convey these children that 

they are proud of them. They have 

enhanced our dignity. They have 

worked very hard to uphold the 

COVER STORY 5 

dian Olympic crown 

CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and MP Deepender Singh Hooda with Olympic medal 

winners at the Abhinandan Samaroh at Gohana in Sonipat District 

prestige of the nation and have 

achieved success. I congratulate all the 

players”, he added. 

Mr Hooda honoured wrestlers 

Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, 

badminton player Saina Nehwal and 

shooter Gagan Narang and 15 other 

participants from the state, including 

Vijender Singh, Krishna Poonia and 

other players, with cash prizes, luxury 

cars, LED TV and other electronic 

gadgets. While Sushil Kumar was 

given Rs 1.5 crore, Yogeshwar Dutt,

6 


Wrestler Sushil Kumar receiving cash award of Rs 1.5 crore 

from Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda 

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt receiving cash award of Rs 1 

crore from CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda 

Olympics factsheet 

n Players from India : 81 

n Players from Haryana : 19 

n Medals won by India : Six 

n Medals won by Haryana : Four 

n Medals won by India in Beijing (2008) : Three 

n Medals won by Haryana in Beijing : Two 

Saina Nehwal and Gagan Narang got Rs 1 crore each. 

Olympic finalist Krishna Poonia was awarded a 

cash prize of Rs 31 lakh, quarterfinalist Vijender and 

Amit and first women wrestler from the country to 

have qualified for Olympics Geeta Phogat, were given 

cash prize of Rs 21 lakh each. All other 11 participants 

from Haryana namely, Annuraj Singh, Garima 

Chaudhary, Jai Bhagwan, Manoj Kumar, Om Prakash 

Singh, Sandeep Singh, Sanjeev Rajput, Sardar Singh, 

Seema Antil, Sumit Sangwan and Vikas Krishan were 

given cash award of Rs 11 lakh each. 

All the four medal winners were handed over keys 

of Audi cars and 15 other participants were given 

special edition SX4 cars. The Chief Minister 

announced the post of Inspector in Haryana Police for 

wrestler Amit Kumar, who had entered into 

quarterfinals of the Olympics. Land will be provided 

to Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Saina Nehwal, 

shooter Gagan Narang and boxer Vijender Singh for 

setting up academies in the state. Coaches of the 

players were also honoured with cash prize of Rs 1 

lakh each. He thanked DLF for supporting the 

Haryana players by gifting them cars 

INSTITUTION TO BE NAMED AFTER SAINA 

Gagan Narang’s ancestral village Simla Gujran in 

Panipat District and the village of Sushil Kumar’s 

mother Nilothi in Jhahhar District will be given Rs 1 

crore each; and the village of Yogeshwar Dutt 

Bhainswal Kalan, a bigger village, in Sonipat District 

will be given Rs 2 crore for development. Mr Hooda 

asked the Vice-Chancellor of Ch Charan Singh 

Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar (CCSHAU) to 

name a suitable place or institution after Saina 

Nehwal so that the younger generation could take 

inspiration from her. 

Mr Hooda announced the decision to double the 

cash awards for state players who will win gold, silver 

and bronze medals in any discipline in the 2016 Rio 

Olympics. Olympic participants from the state would 

get Rs 21 lakh. With a view to further strengthening 

the system of training sportspersons, the Chief 

Minister said 790 coaches would be recruited in the 

state. 

Giving credit to the players for their achievements, 

he said they had made the country and the state proud 

with their sterling performance. He specially referred 

to Sushil Kumar, Saina, Yogeshwar, Gagan and 

Vijender Singh. The tactics of Sushil Kumar reminded 

of the ‘Mal-yudh’ of the strong man Bhima. Yogeshwar 

Dutt also displayed his skill and won bronze medal. By 

winning a bronze medal in badminton, Saina Nehwal 

proved that our daughters are not less competent than 

others. Gagan Narang won bronze medal by aiming at 

the target like Arjuna, he added amidst thunderous


“The support and encouragement extended to its 

players by the Haryana Government, especially 

the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has 

been a big source of strength and inspiration to 

us. Small wonder everybody is asking why the 

players from Haryana are performing so well. I 

feel all state governments should follow suit and 

extend similar support to their players.” 

Saina Nehwal 

Olympic Bronze winner, 

Badminton 

“The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh 

Hooda, and Congress MP Mr Deepender Singh 

Hooda take keen interest in sports and have 

always given lot of respect and incentives to the 

players. This is the reason why the players from 

Haryana are performing so well. Mr Hooda framed 

good policies and encouraged players, something 

that was never done before.” 

Sushil Kumar 

Olympic Silver winner, 

Wrestling 

“It is amazing how Haryana is supporting its 

players. The other states should take inspiration 

from Haryana and follow suit. Haryana is far 

ahead of others and there is no other state, which 

is doing as much for its players. The 

encouragement given to the sportspersons 

constitutes their core strength. Little wonder both 

the opening and closing medals at London 

Olympics were won by the players from Haryana”. 

Gagan Narang 


Shooting 

Saina Nehwal receiving the honours 

“The Chief Minister had a great role to play in my 

winning the medal in London Olympics. Mr Hooda 

provided me complete support after I had lost the 

quarterfinals and could not win medal in the 

Beijing Olympics. I got injured and was mentally 

shattered but the Haryana Government appointed 

me DSP in Haryana Police and also gave me Rs 25 

lakh as cash award, which encouraged me a lot. I 

started afresh and won the medal for the 

country”. 

Yogeshwar Dutt 


Wrestling Shooter Gagan Narang receiving cash award from CM 

COVER STORY 7

8 


Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, DGP, Haryana Ranjiv Singh Dalal and Sports Minister Sukhbir Kataria at the 

ceremony organised by Haryana Police to honour seven Olympic players from the Haryana Police Department 

applause from the upbeat and massive 

crowd, which had converged to 

welcome their sports heroes. The 

parents and coaches of all the players 

also deserved to be congratulated, he 

added. 

Haryana’s Sports Policy is being 

discussed in the entire country. The 

policy has three main aspects of 

infrastructure, talent search and 

assurance of future. The state 

government has implemented the 

sports policy which assured the 

players “Padak Lao, Pad Pao.” 

The Chief Minister has promoted 

athlete Seema Antil and boxer Jai 

Bhagwan to the rank of Police 

Inspectors. The Police Department 

has given Rs 51 lakh to Yogeshwar 

Dutt and Rs 11 lakh to each of the 

other six players from the Police 

Department. They are: boxers 

Vijender Singh, Vikas Krishan and 

Jai Bhagwan, hockey players Sardar 

Singh and Sandeep Singh and athlete 

“The hard work put in by our 

players has paid rich dividends and 

they deserve credit for their grand 

performance in the Olympics. 

Three distinct features constitute 

the cornerstones of Haryana’s 

innovative and futuristic Sports 

Policy–infrastructure development, 

talent hunt and training, and an 

assured future. And these have 

inspired our players”. 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda 

Chief Minister 

Seema Antil. This is besides the cash 

awards given by the state government. 

“Earlier, we used to win gold medal 

in hockey only but now the players 

are winning medals in other events 

also. It is a new beginning. Out of the 

19 players from Haryana in the 

country’s contingent of 81, seven were 

from Haryana Police and no such 

organisation in the country has this 

much number of players representing 

the country in a prestigious sports 

competition like Olympics,” Mr 

Hooda told Haryana Review. 

With a view to identifying sports 

talent in rural areas, about 200 Rajiv 

Gandhi Rural Sports Stadia are being 

constructed. Out of these, more than 

150 stadia have been completed. About 

800 coaches are also being recruited 

for providing coaching to the players 

in different sports. Also, SPAT 

programme has been implemented to 

groom the sports talent at young age 

of 8 to 19 years. The state government 

has also included ‘ Padak Lao Pad 

Pao’ in its Sports Policy to ensure 

secured future to sportspersons. “By 

ensuring secured future to the 

players, we can develop world’s best 

players,” he added. 

Referring to the role played by the 

sports policy, he said: “Three distinct 

features constitute the cornerstone of


Haryana’s innovative and futuristic 

Sports Policy--infrastructure 

development, talent hunt and 

training, and an assured future. And 

these have decidedly inspired our 

players.” 

He said that a la the right to 

education provided by the UPA 

Government, the Haryana 

Government planned to bring 

legislation on Right to Play. Haryana 

has lot of sports potential. With a 

view to giving positive direction to 

the energies of the youth, the state 

government has decided to lay stress 

on the development of sports and 

encourage the youth to opt for sports 

as a career. About 200 stadia have 

been constructed in the rural areas, 

where young and budding sports 

talents are given coaching in different 

disciplines. 

Given the dedication of its players 

and the determination of the 

Haryana Government to make the 

state a sports power, Haryana is set to 

emerge as a sports power. g 

The Olympic medal winners and 

players from Haryana are full of 

praise for the encouragement and 

incentives given by the state 

government, led by the Chief Minister, 

Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In a chat 

with Haryana Review on the sidelines 

of the State Level Felicitation function 

organised in Gohana they showered 

encomiums on the Haryana 

Government in general, and the Chief 

Minister, in particular, for playing the 

enabler in their performance at 

London Olympics. So much so, some 

said if the Central Government and 

other states took a leaf out of 

Haryana’s book, India could well bag 

more than 20 medals in the Rio 

Olympics in 2016. 

When contacted, Indian shooter 

and London Olympic bronze medal 

winner Gagan Narang said, “Other 

state governments should learn from 

Haryana as it is doing so much to 

encourage and provide support to the 

players.” Narang said that he was 

feeling great to see the convergence of 

a huge crowd to welcome the players. 

“I cannot believe that these people 

have come to honour us,” he added. 

On being asked about his future 

plans, he said, “I want to set up a 

shooting academy in the state so that 

maximum number of shooters from 

Haryana can represent the country in 

the Olympics and other prestigious 

competitions and win medals for the 

country and the state.” He added that 

he was targeting 2016 and 2020 

Olympics. 

Ace badminton player Saina 

Nehwal said that it was a great 

welcome at Gohana. She praised the 

Haryana Chief Minister, Mr 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for his 

initiatives and support to the players. 

She said, “Mr Hooda and the Haryana 

Government are doing so much for the 

players and if other governments 

could follow Haryana, the country 

could win 25 to 30 medals in the next 

Olympics.” 

Saina told Haryana Review that she 

wanted to pay back the state, where 

she was born, by opening a badminton 

academy so that Haryana could 

produce world class badminton 

players. 

Silver medalist Sushil Kumar 

praised the Haryana Government’s 

initiative and encouragement. He said, 

COVER STORY 9 

Grateful players thank Hooda 

“The Chief Minister had honoured the 

players in Rai, Sonipat after the 

Beijing Olympics, which boosted their 

morale and thus, they were able to 

bring good results in London 

Olympics. With this function, the 

players have been further encouraged 

and I want to assure the people that 

we would bring more medals in the 

next Olympics for India and 

Haryana.” 

He said that the Chief Minister 

deserved credit for the success of the 

players as he had been taking personal 

interest in their training and asking 

them if they needed any help or 

support. 

The coach of Sushil Kumar and 

Yogeshwar Dutt, Mahabali Satpal said 

that the Haryana Government’s 

support to the players had brought 

awakening in every household and the 

people were now taking interest in 

sports. 

Noted boxer and Beijing Olympic 

bronze medalist Vijender Singh said, 

“The country should follow the sports 

policies of Haryana as it has set a 

good example. The state government 

has appointed the sportspersons DSPs 

and also given cash awards, which has 

motivated the next generation to take 

up sports in a big way.” Talking about 

his next targets, Vijender said that he 

would be preparing for the next world 

championships. He added that boxing 

had a bright future in the country. 

Indian Boxer Manoj Kumar said, 

“This function would open a new 

chapter in the field of sports. The 

encouragement by the people and the 

government mattered a lot. All other 

states should try to follow Haryana 

model.” He told Haryana Review that 

players of other states also 

appreciated Haryana’s sports policy 

and wished that they could be adopted 

by Haryana. 

Noted athlete Krishna Poonia also 

praised Haryana’s policies and said 

that this would encourage more people 

to take up sports. 

Women wrestler Geeta Phogat and 

hockey stars Sardar Singh and 

Sandeep Singh also praised the 

Haryana Government’s sports 

policies. Geeta said, “Such facilities as 

are being provided by the Haryana 

Government should also be provided 

by the other state governments to 

their players.”

10 


Sushil sets sights 

on gold at Rio 

From bronze in the Beijing 

Olympics to silver in London, 

wrestler Sushil Kumar has done 

what no other Indian could. He has 

become a legend in Indian sports, and 

a source of inspiration to the 

youngsters and budding stars. 

Belonging to the area bordering 

Haryana and Delhi, the wrestler feels 

good to be associated with the state. 

Saurabh Duggal, columnist of 

Haryana Review, caught up with him 

in London after his feat. Here go 

excerpts from the interview: 

Being the only Indian 

sportsperson to have two 

individual Olympic medals 

under the belt, you have 

become a sports legend. How 

it makes you feel? 

I don’t know whether I have become 

a legend or not, but people’s 

appreciation for my achievements 

makes me feel happy, and gets me 

going. I only want to remain Sushil 

Kumar for them. It is only because of 

their wishes that I have been able to 

achieve all that I have, and scale 

such heights. 

After the final bout (August 

12), you were quite upset? 

What happened? 

I was upset. For, I had lost the bout 

that was well within my reach. I was


hoping for gold but it virtually 

slipped out of my hands. That made 

me upset. No player wants to lose the 

bout, even if losing lands him with 

silver medal in the Olympics. 

Are you not satisfied with 

silver? 

The question here is not of winning 

the silver medal but of losing the 

gold medal, and, that too, after 

coming so near. Moreover, a true 

sportsperson never gets satisfied. 

Had that been the case, I would have 

been satisfied with becoming an 

Olympian at the time of the Athens 

Olympics (2004) or after winning an 

Olympic medal in the 2008 Beijing 

Games. But I want more and that’s 

why I came here. I did succeed in 

changing the colour of the medal in 

London Games, but gold is gold. 

Does that mean gold is your 

target for the Rio Olympics? 

Winning an Olympic medal is every 

sportsperson’s dream, and I am no 

exception. After winning an Olympic 

medal one wants to become Olympic 

champion, and I want to be one. But 

four years is really a long time. Right 

now, I cannot predict anything what I 

will be doing after four years. But 

one thing I can say for sure is that I 

have no immediate retirement plans. 

England is lucky for you. Is it 

because you won Olympic 

silver medal here? 

You are right. But let me share with 

you that it was in UK that I won my 

life’s first international medal. I 

made my international debut in 

Manchester, England, in 1998 cadet 

world championship where I won the 

gold. That event served as a stepping 

stone for me to make progress in my 

sporting career and achieve what I 

have so far. 

So, how was the night after 

the medal? Any celebrations? 

After the medal ceremony, I was 

there at the venue till 6.30 in the 

evening, giving interviews to the 

electronic media. I really got tired. 

After retreating to the Games 

Village, I had food, talked to my 

coaches and fellow wrestlers, and 

went to sleep. There were no formal 

celebrations. 

When you checked in at the 

Games Village, what was your 

first reaction? 

I checked in twice, once for the 

opening ceremony, and then for my 

event. There was no specific reaction 

that I can recall now. But the 

uppermost thing in my mind was 

that I am here to win gold for my 

country, but unfortunately I had to 

settle for silver. 

Was there any pressure on 

you after both Beijing 

Olympics medalists, Abhinav 

Bindra and Vijender Singh, 

lost their respective events 

before your turn came to 

perform in London Olympics? 

There was no pressure on me. 

Moreover, winning and losing are 

part and parcel of any game and life, 

and we should not forget that both 

Abhinav and Vijender are great 

sportspersons. They have proved 

their mettle in their respective fields 

and few Indians could have done so 

much in such short time. Abhinav 

won an Olympic gold, which till date, 

I am unable to do. 

When you went to your coach 

after the medal ceremony, he 

was in tears? Explain the 

moment? 

After the presentation ceremony 

COVER STORY 11 

when I gave the silver medal to my 

coach he got emotional. We have a 

strong bonding and during the 

national camps and foreign outings, 

most of the time he has been with 

me. The medal is in his custody only. 

You always give credit for 

your triumph to your team? 

Who all form part of your 

team? 

I always say that an individual 

cannot do anything. I have managed 

to reach here only because of the 

support extended to me by my 

coaches, family and well wishers. 

But when I talk about core members 

of my team, they are my coaches; my 

brother Amarjit, who especially 

came to London, but for want of 

accreditation, had to stay out; physio 

Arvinderpal Singh, and my training 

partner Pardeep, who couldn’t come 

here. 

Amarjeet and Arvinderpal had got 

their return tickets to India on 

August 14 by Lufthansa Airlines, but 

when I told them that they must 

come back with me, they too got 

booking in the same flight (British 

Airlines) and their other tickets got 

wasted. g 

The writer is Senior Sports 

Journalist with Hindustan Times, 

Chandigarh

12 

Back-to-back win 

Celebrations all the way 

Swati Sethi 

Sushil Kumar, the Haryanvi 

wrestler recorded his name in 

sports history of the country by 

becoming the first ever sportsperson 

to win back-to-back individual 

Olympic medals. Sushil Kumar 

wrestled better in London to reach 

the final of the men’s 66kg freestyle 

losing out to clinch the silver, after 

being outclassed by Japanese 

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu 3-1 in the gold 

medal bout. In 2008 Beijing Olympics, 

he won a bronze. 

On the final day of the London 

Olympics, wrestler Sushil Kumar 

made history by becoming the first 

Indian to win back-to-back Olympic 

medals. Sushil Kumar defeated 

Beijing gold medallist Ramazan Sahin 

(3-1) of Turkey to move to the 

quarterfinals of the London Olympics 

2012 (men`s 66kg freestyle category). 

He beat defending champion 

Ramazan Sahin of Turkey 3-1 in his 

first bout and made it to the 

quarterfinals of the men’s 66kg 

freestyle wrestling event. Both the 

wrestlers got a bye in the first round 

and it was the Turkish, gold winner 

in Beijing four years ago and world 

champion in 2007, who started 

strongly by collecting two points to 

take the first period. Sushil won the 

second period through a ‘clinch’ after 

the toss went in his favour. 

The third and deciding period also 

saw a tough fight with both wrestlers

not giving any inch to each other 

before the Indian finally securing a 

point to wrap up the bout. 

Sushil then defeated his Uzbek 

opponent Ikhtiyor Navruzov 3-1 to 

reach the last-4 in the quarterfinals. 

The 29-year-old wrestler went on to 

demolish Akhzurek Tanatrov of 

Kazakhstan 6-3 in an engrossing semifinal 

contest to achieve the 

memorable feat of back to back 

Olympics and provide the perfect 

icing on the cake to India`s successful 

Olympic campaign. In the finals, he 

ended up a 1-3 loser against a strong 

Japanese rival Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu 

in the gold medal bout. 

“We won three medals in 2008 

Beijing Olympics. This Olympics we 

have doubled the tally. I am hopeful 

that we can win around 15 medals in 

2016 Olympics,” said Sushil Kumar. 

Sushil Kumar also expressed 

satisfaction that Olympics sports 

were getting importance in the 

country. “The way people showed 

faith in us, the way they cheered us, I 

am really impressed with that,” said 

the wrestler. 

CELEBRATIONS 

The homecoming of Olympic silver 

medallist Sushil Kumar from London 

triggered massive celebrations at the 

Indira Gandhi International Airport 

as he landed. He was welcomed by 

relatives and supporters, including 

A proud mother celebrates Sushil 

Kumar winning silver in the Olympics 


young grapplers from nearby akhadas 

at the airport. It was a momentous 

occasion for Indian wrestling and the 

fans did their best to make it 

memorable. 

With the crowd dancing to a 

constant stream of music and drum 

beats, waving the tricolour, there was 

a festive atmosphere at the airport. A 

garland in every hand, besides three 

massive ones, spoke a lot about the 

emotions of the fans who wanted to 

congratulate their hero in person. 

UNMATCHED FAN FOLLOWING 

The ground shook as two troupes of 

drummers produced ear-splitting 

sounds as a music band played tunes 

ceaselessly to stress the importance of 

the occasion. The fan following of 

two-time Olympic medallist Sushil 

Kumar was unmatched. 

Several big banners, featuring 

slogans—Bharat maa ko Sushil ka 

anmol tohfa (Sushil’s gift to Mother 

India), Sushil hai hamara Kohinoor, 

Iss par hai Bharat ko gurur (Sushil is 

our Kohinoor, India is proud of him), 

Bharat ki shaan, Sushil pehelwan 

(Wrestler Sushil is India’s pride)— 

hailed Sushil’s huge achievement 

even as a truck wrapped in posters 

stood ready to take him in a 

procession. 

More than hundred wrestlers from 

the Chhatrasal Stadium, the akhara 

of Sushil Kumar, patiently waited for 

their idol to emerge from the exit gate 

and lifted him on their shoulders. 

“It is a big moment for us. Had the 

Independence Day not been ahead, 

they would have first visited the 

stadium as a mark of respect to the 

akhara,” said Virender Kumar, one of 

the coaches from the stadium. 

There was a festival like 

atmosphere at Sushil Kumar’s home 

too. “After Sushil’s success, parents 

will now support their children if 

they want to take up wrestling,” said 

Sushil’s cousin, Ajay Kumar, a 

resident of Gurgaon. “Many children 

in this village are eager to become 

wrestlers,” he added. 

“My heart was beating very fast 

when I saw him on the television 

screen. I am very proud of my son,” 

said Kamala Devi, Sushil’s mother. 

Pradeep Kumar, the training 

partner of Sushil, was at a loss for 

words. “We have been room partners 

for almost a decade. I feel as if my 

brother has won a medal,” he said. 

Well done Sushil! g

14 


Yogeshwar fulfills 

father’s dream 

With bronze in 60 kg category under his belt, Yogeshwar Dutt from 

Sonipat becomes the third Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal 

Saurabh Duggal & Ruchi Sharma 

On August 11 (the day of his 

wrestling event), Yogeshwar Dutt 

was the happiest man as, at last, he 

was able to fulfill his late father’s wish 

of winning a medal in the Olympics. 

His father expired on August 3, 2006. 

“I am very happy today. I have 

fulfilled my father’s wish. It is a 

dream come true for me,” said 

Yogeshwar Dutt, who defeated Korean 

wrestler RI Jim for the bronze medal 

bout in the 60kg weight category. “In 

the Beijing Olympics, the medal 

slipped out of my hand and for four 

long years its memories haunted me. 

This time I was confident that I would 

not return home empty handed, and 

finally I did it,” he added. 

PREVIOUS OLYMPICS 

Before London Olympics 2012, 

Yogeshwar Dutt had represented 

Haryana twice in 2004 and 2008 

Olympics as part of the Indian 

players’ squad. This time he didn’t let 

go of the opportunity and clinched 

bronze medal through his sheer 

performance and determination in 

wrestling. Yogeshwar became the 

third Indian wrestler to win an 

Olympic medal. 

After losing the pre-quarterfinal 

bout to Russian wrestler B Kudukhov 

the doors for entering into the final 

were closed for Indian wrestler 

Yogeshwar Dutt. But luck was on his 

side, as the Russian made it to the 

final of the 60kg weight category and 

Yogeshwar got a chance to play in the 

Repechage Round for bronze and this


time he didn’t let go of the 

opportunity. After KD Jadav’s win in 

the Helsinki Olympics 1952 and Sushil 

Kumar’s triumph in the Beijing 

Olympics 2008, he became the third 

Indian wrestler to win an Olympics 

medal. 

“I was eyeing for gold, but 

somehow I lost to the Russian wrestler 

and then at one point it was looking 

like the end of road for me. But when 

I got an entry in the Repechage 

Round, I knew I could not afford to 

lose this golden chance,” said 

Yogeshwar. 

In the first bout of the Repechage, 

he defeated Franklin Gomez Matos of 

Puerto Rico 2-0. Both the rounds of 

the bout were scoreless and had to be 

decided on the clinch, and on both the 

occasions Yogeshwar got the 

advantage and he did no mistake to 

proceed further. 

In second bout, he defeated Iranian 

wrestler Esmaeilpoor Jouybar on 

pints. Earlier, in the qualification 

round, Yogeshwar defeated Bulgaria’s 

AI Guidea 7-3. 

FAVOURITE TRICK 

Talking about the trick he displayed to 

floor North Korean opponent, he said 

that towards the end he used his 

favourite trick called Fitele that won 

him straight six points. Once he got a 

grip on his Korean opponent, he didn’t 

let the opportunity slip and got as 

many as six points. He effectively used 

it against a Canadian opponent and 

kept rolling him till the referee 

awarded him the bout. 

In Commonwealth Games 2010, 

Yogeshwar won gold medal and in 

2006 Asian Game he brought home 

bronze medal. He was honoured with 

Arjuna Award in 2009. 

FESTIVITIES AT HOME 

The Bainswal Kalan village of Sonipat 

district of Haryana burst into 

celebrations with Yogeshwar’s bronze 

medal winning feat in the London 

Games. The three-storey bungalow of 

the wrestler is prominently featuring 

the five Olympic rings since then. 

There was festive atmosphere at his 

home where LCD television was 

placed outside the house for 

thousands of villagers to witness the 

triumphant moment of the village lad. 

His family members and fellow 

villagers celebrated his feat by 

bursting firecrackers, distributing 

sweets and dancing to tunes of DJ the 

whole night. Scores of people from 

nearby villages kept pouring in the 

following day to congratulate the 

family members. 

Yogeshwar Dutt was already a 

household name in the village because 

of his earlier achievements in sports 

but his recent achievement has made 

him popular all over the country. The 

house of the wrestler was crowded 

with the crew of all the television 

channels and thousands of wellwishers 

who were welcomed by 

Yogeshwars’ younger brother Mukesh 

and mother Sushila Devi. 

The villagers and his old coach 

were all praise for him for his hard 

work in wrestling and also for 

contributing often in charities. The 

proud mother Sushila celebrated her 

sons’ achievement by dancing with 

village women. She recalled how she 

and her husband, both teachers, had 

dissuaded Yogeshwar from taking up 

wrestling. “But since his childhood 

days, he was very keen about 

Yogeshwar’s mother celebrates his victory by shaking a leg with others 


wrestling. And today he has proved 

himself. It is his strong will power 

that helped him win,” said Sushila. 

“It is a proud moment for our 

family, for the whole village and for 

the whole country. It’s a dream come 

true. It would have been different had 

my father been alive. He would have 

been over the moon,” said Mukesh, 

younger brother of Yogeshwar. The 

brother was busy constantly thanking 

people on his mobile phone and giving 

interviews to reporters. 

WEDDING BELLS SOON 

Yogeshwar’s mother told Haryana 

Review that wedding bells were in the 

offing for the wrestler. “I had told him 

that I will not get him married till he 

got an Olympic medal. He has fulfilled 

that. We will arrange his marriage 

soon,” she added. 

“His sports achievements have 

done a world of good to the sport of 

wrestling. After his Commonwealth 

Games gold, people developed a craze 

for wrestling. Now, I am sure, it will 

increase further,” said Jagbir Malik, 

the District Sports Officer of Sonipat. 

The Haryana Government has 

announced cash reward of Rs 1 crore 

for the wrestler. Yogeshwar won three 

wrestling matches in a span of 45 

minutes to give India its fifth medal in 

the London Olympics. 

WELCOME AT AIRPORT 

Since Yogeshwar has earned fame for 

his little known village, Bainswal 

Kalan, the villagers travelled along 

with his family members to Delhi in 

order to give a befitting welcome to 

the most illustrious son of the soil 

when he arrived from London. 

As many as 400 people had gone for 

the welcome. There was a festive 

atmosphere at the airport as the 

crowd, gathered to welcome their 

hero, danced to a constant stream of 

music and drum beats and waved the 

tricolour. There were garlands in 

every hand. 

As soon as Yogeshwar arrived, 

wrestlers from the Chhatrasal 

Stadium, his akhara, chaired him on 

his shoulders to celebrate his feat. 

He had a bruised eye and yet he 

looked elated, given the welcome he 

received. He said, "Mujhe ummeed 

nahi thi ki mere gaon se itne saare log 

aayenge mujhe lene ke liye. (I was not 

expecting so many people from my 

village to greet me).” 

It was truly a hero’s welcome. g

16 

COVER STORY 

Shooting 

to win 

& inspire 

Ace shooter Gagan Narang 

wants his bronze medal, won in 

the men’s 10m air rifle event in 

the London Olympics, to travel 

across the country so that it 

inspires the coming generation 

Swati Sethi 

Gagan Narang provided the spark to India’s Olympic 

campaign by clinching the bronze medal in the men’s 10m 

air rifle event. By giving the country its first medal in the 2012 

Olympics, 29-year-old Narang lived up to the expectations of 

millions of people to claim the bronze, the third shooting 

medal in India’s Olympic history. 

It was the third time in a row that Indian shooters had won 

medals at the Olympics. Double trap shooter Rajyavardhan 

Singh Rathore won the silver in 2004, Abhinav Bindra gave 

India a historic gold in Beijing, and now Narang has bagged a 

bronze in London. 

Narang simply celebrated his win with a wave of the hand 

before lifting his rifle in both hands. He later admitted to 

being relieved at having lifted the heavy load of expectation 

off his shoulder. “If anyone says there’s no pressure at the 

Olympics, he’s got to be joking,” said the 29-year-old ace 

marksman. 

Narang, who entered the final in third spot with a score of 

598 in the qualifying, shot 103.1 in a gripping 10-shot finals for 

an aggregate of 701.1 for the bronze. The gold went to 

Romanian Alin George Moldoveanu (702.1) and Italian Niccolo 

Campriani bagged the silver (701.5). 

“Whatever I came here to do, I have achieved. I have had a 

great journey, I have had my share of ups and downs but it 

has been very exciting. It still doesn’t feel like I have won an 

Olympics medal. This medal had evaded me and now I have 

finally got it,” Narang added. 

"It's a moment of pride and the win has given me a high," 

Narang had said after shooting his way to the men's 10m air 

rifle bronze medal. "I hadn't even dreamt of hitting the bull's 

eye," Narang, the man who disappointed himself, and the 

country, in Beijing and Athens, had said. 

When asked about the disappointment he had to face at the 

2008 Olympics, the ace shooter said, "Let bygones be bygones... 

Please don't remind me of that disappointment." 

However, Gagan Narang's mother was disappointed that he 

did not win a gold medal, said the shooter on his return to the 

country. "She wanted me to win the gold medal. I hope to 

fulfill her wish in the future," said the star rifle shooter. 

Gagan Narang has already set his sight on improving his 

performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

"The colour of the medal is not very bright. I have to change 

the colour," Narang quipped. 

The joy of getting back home was more evident when 

Gagan re-activated his social networking site and connected 

with all his fans. According to a close source from the 

shooting fraternity, Gagan was very active on the social 

networking site till February. It was just few months before 

Olympics that he rigorously started his training and hence 

decided to deactivate his account as he wanted to

concentrate more on his training session. 

Now obviously, that shows how dedicated he was towards 

his game which made him deactivate his social networking 

account and give up socialising with everyone for a while. 

“Gagan was very focused with his game and his only aim was 

to win the medal at the Olympics. Finally when Gagan landed 

in India he surprised all his fans by activating his social 

networking account," the source added. 

One of the young shooters said, "Gagan Narang has been 

an inspiration for all young shooters in India and in fact when 

he won the medal at the Olympics all his fans wanted to 

congratulate him, but sadly he had de-activated his account. 

But after coming back suddenly he posted a picture of his, 

along with Drummer Sivamani, and that's the time we 

realised that Gagan was back with us. This really made us feel 

happy." 


A jacket that stood the test of time 

Saurabh Duggal 

Two days before the big day (July 31), Narang's jacket 

couldn't meet the stringent specifications and he was 

forced to make some adjustments. He faced an even bigger 

hurdle the next day. Despite making another round of 

adjustments, his jacket didn't pass the equipment control, 

and finally, the Indian requested the technical officials to 

check the jacket on another machine. This time around, 

Narang was lucky. 

"Before every competition, shooters have to get their 

equipment cleared. When we went for equipment control, 

they didn't pass the jacket. The subsequent day (July 29) we 

faced the same problem despite making the necessary 

adjustments. The machine didn't pass the jacket because of 

which half our official training time got wasted," said 

Narang' mental trainer Vaibhav Agashe. 

"Finally, we asked the equipment control to check the 

stiffness of the jacket on another machine. Gagan has been 

using this jacket in all major tournaments and he has 

never encountered such a problem, so he was sure there 

was something wrong with the machine. Eventually, the 

next machine cleared the jacket," he added. 

So, did the episode disturb Narang? "When we prepare 

for big events, we have to keep budget for such hurdles. So, 

it didn't disturb us. The only thing was it wasted some of 

our precious training time," said Agashe. 

The jacket that Narang wore is the one which has been 

with him for nine years now. He has tested a dozen odd 

jackets in the last one year but none seems to fit him like 

the old one. 

"Last year he went for a new rifle and a new jacket. He 

got comfortable with the rifle, but his body didn't adjust to 

the jacket. So, he kept trying out new jackets all year long. 

He shot the first two World Cups this year with new jackets 

but switched to the old one for the Munich World Cup. It 

worked," said Narang's close friend, Pawan Singh, who is 

also the director at the ace shooter's academy, Gun for 

Glory. 

"You can see a number of patches and stitches on his 

jacket as a lot of adjustments have been made because his 

body has changed in the last 8-10 years," he added. 

The shooter now plans to take his London Olympics bronze 

medal on a countrywide tour to inspire the next generation of 

sportsmen. This would not only provide an opportunity to 

celebrate his achievement but also give the marksman a 

platform to share his success story with the country, which 

can boost interest in the sport and spur budding sportsmen to 

strive harder for success. "I want my medal to travel across 

the country so that it inspires the coming generation," Narang 

said. 

The ace marksman, who clinched a bronze in the 10m air 

rifle event, in fact, wants his medal to be touched by the 

country's 1.2 billion people. It was while coming back from the 

Royal Artillery Barracks to the Games Village after his 

moment of glory that the idea hit upon him. 

"I was coming back by bus after winning the medal. I saw 

the Olympics motto – ‘Inspire a Generation’ - and that's when I 

thought about it. I want to inspire the young talent of the 

country," said the shooter. g

18 


SAINA: It is 

just the 

beginning 

The star shuttler wins India's maiden 

Olympic medal in badminton and 

hopes to win many more for the 

country in future


Swati Sethi 

Saina Nehwal made the country 

proud by giving India its maiden 

Olympic medal in badminton. India’s 

brightest medal hopeful, Saina Nehwal 

overcame her Beijing Olympics 

disappointment by winning bronze in 

the London Olympics. She started her 

campaign steamrolling Sabrina of 

Switzerland 21-9, 21-4 and Lianne Tan 

of Belgium 21-4, 21-14 to win her 

group. 

In Round 16, Saina stormed past Jie 

Yao of the Netherlands 21-14, 21-16 to 

set up a quarterfinal match with the 

veteran Tine Baun of Denmark. The 

number 4 seed Nehwal outclassed her 

opponent 21-15, 22-2. It was touted that 

only Saina Nehwal could break the 

Chinese monopoly over Badminton 

and Saina’s real campaign started only 

in the semis as she was up against 

none other than the number 1 seed 

Yihan Wang of China. Saina lost out 

21-13, 21-13 in the Beijing Olympics. 

As the losing semi-finalist she had a 

chance to win bronze and she found 

herself in the company of number 2 

seed Xin Wang of China. But as luck 

would have it, a knee injury in the 

second game to the Chinese when she 

was leading 18-21, 0-1 led to her 

retirement and thus, Saina Nehwal 

had the bronze in her kitty. 

"It is an amazing feeling. When I 

went to London, I was confident of 

returning with a medal and I was able 

to achieve that. I started playing the 

game at the age of nine with this very 

hope of winning an Olympic medal. I 

am proud of myself that I could 

realise my dream,” says Saina 

Nehwal, who is on cloud nine these 

days. 

BASKING IN OLYMPIC GLORY 

Since Nehwal has won a bronze at the 

London Olympics, she has been busy 

saying "thank you". "If I had a nickel 

for every time I said thank you, I 

would be a millionaire," the 22-year old 

said smilingly. The congratulatory 

messages have kept the shuttler 

occupied and Saina is basking in the 

newfound glory. 

"This Olympics was a great 

experience. I wanted to do my best and 

here I am…I am happy that at least I 

have a bronze and I am the first Indian 

to win a badminton Olympic medal. It 

has motivated me to be the best in the 

world and do better at the Rio 

Olympics," she said. 

The support and encouragement 

extended by the Haryana 

Government to its players is 

encouraging. All state 

governments should extend 

similar support to their players. 

Saina Nehwal 

Badminton player 

Asked how she had felt standing on 

an Olympic podium with a medal 

around her neck, Saina said it was an 

unbelievable feeling. 

"I was thinking of all the years of 

training and hard work I had put for 

winning an Olympic medal," she said, 

adding that it was just the beginning 

and she would win many more medals. 

She thanked all those who had 

contributed to her success. "It was 

because of their support that I grew 

from an ordinary girl to a champion. 

First I want to thank Gopi sir and then 

my dad, without whom I am nothing," 

she said. 

CREDIT TO COACH AND FATHER 

"Gopi sir always looks very composed 

but I was surprised when I saw him 

jumping with joy after my win. I was 

pleasantly shocked. He always used to 

tell me, Saina, I was not able to win an 

Olympic medal, but you can win it for 

me,” recalled Saina. 

“I cannot forget the contributions of 

my father. This victory could not have 

been possible without his efforts. He 

sacrificed a lot for me," Saina said, 

adding that she never thought she 

would stand on the podium at an 

Olympic Games. 

Coach P Gopichand, on his part, 

recalled how Saina wept inconsolably 

after losing at the Denmark Open last 

year. "She told me, 'Bhaiya, it's not 

happening, you have to do something.' 

I comforted her, telling her that I 

would put in my best effort for the 

Olympics. From then on, for the next 

eight months I never left the city when 

Saina was training. That incident in 

Denmark motivated us a lot," Gopi 

said. 

Saina said she had to make a lot of 

sacrifices but the result of all the hard 

work was much bigger. "There is 

nothing bigger than standing on the 

podium with an Olympic medal. That's 

life for me," she said while responding 

to a question as to how she plans to 

compensate all the sacrifices she has 

made to reach this stage of her career. 

The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr 


Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has 

congratulated the badminton star and 

said that she had made the state and 

the country proud. Mr Hooda said that 

Nehwal's rare feat would inspire the 

budding talent. The Haryana 

Government has given a cash award of 

Rs 1 crore for winning a bronze medal. 

“The support and encouragement 

extended by the Haryana Government 

to its players is encouraging. All state 

governments should extend similar 

support to their players,” says Saina 

Nehwal after meeting Mr Hooda. 

Nehwal said that now everybody 

wanted to know the reason behind 

Haryana players performing so well 

as 19 players from Haryana, out of 

total 81 players from India, 

represented the country in the 

Olympics, and four of them won 

medals. 

She said that Mr Hooda was 

himself a player and had developed a 

sports culture in the state. The Chief 

Minister still plays regularly so he 

can better understand the needs and 

aspirations of the players. 

Saina recalled how Mr Hooda had 

always encouraged her. After Beijing 

Olympics, the Chief Minister had 

honoured her and never forgot to 

congratulate her on her victory. She 

said that now even the players from 

other states wished that they were 

from Haryana. 

She said that a possible reason for 

Haryana’s success lied in the attitude 

and diet of the state’s people. “The 

people of Haryana take Dudh-Dahi 

and they become stronger. People also 

ask me, why I am so strong,” she 

quipped. 

RAINING GIFTS 

It’s raining gifts for the badminton 

star. She has received a brand new 

BMW car for winning a bronze medal 

in the London Olympics from none 

other than the batting legend Sachin 

Tendulkar, who said that the world 

was yet to see the best of the star 

shuttler. 

"I am sure that she (Saina) is 

happy but not satisfied. We are also 

not satisfied because we know that 

she can go to greater heights. There 

are better days ahead and as a 

sportsperson, you always try to 

believe that your best is yet to come," 

said the iconic Indian batsman. 

Saina said that she was honoured 

and delighted to receive the car from 

the ‘God of Cricket’. g

20 COVER STORY 

Coaching to win 


If sportspersons from Haryana have been able to 

win medals for the country in the Olympics, 

much of the credit goes to their coaches who 

worked tirelessly to motivate the players to do 

more and better 

Swati Sethi 

The sportspersons from Haryana 

have made the country proud by 

bringing laurels in the London 

Olympics. This has become possible 

due to their dedication and sheer hard 

work. But if we look closely, we see 

these athletes are not alone; they are 

guided, taught, pushed, critiqued, and 

encouraged by their coaches to both 

develop and apply their skills to the 

highest degree under intense pressure 

to gain the competitive advantage. 

These coaches have trained them 

physically, mentally and emotionally 

to grow stronger and learn through 

their mistakes. If wrestlers Sushil 

Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, 

badmintion player Saina Nehwal and 

shooter Gagan Narang have been able 

to win medals for the country in the 

Olympics, much of the credit goes to 

their coaches who worked tirelessly to 

motivate the players to do more and 

better. 

SATPAL SINGH 

Satpal Singh, wrestling coach of 

Olympic medal winners Sushil Kumar 

and Yogeshwar Dutt, is a former 

wrestler of India. He was a gold 

medallist in 1982 Asian Games and a 

bronze medallist in 1974 Asian Games. 

Satpal Singh now works 

as Deputy Director of 

Education, Delhi. He is 

also the President of 

School Games Federation 

of India. He is runnnig an 

akhada for providing 

coaching of wrestling 

since 1988 in Chhatrasal 

Stadium, Delhi. He was 

awarded Dronacharya 

Award in 2009 by the 

Government of India. 

Earlier in 1983 he was 

awarded the Padma Shri 

award. 

Satpal, who has trained both Sushil 

and Yogeshwar for the last 18 years, 

believes that their success in London 

will provide a boost to wrestling in the 

country. "I am very happy with 

Sushil’s performance; I couldn't ask 

for more. I feel proud to have a student 

like him," says Satpal Singh. 

Though Sushil failed to win the 

gold medal, Satpal was not 

complaining. "He tried his best for the 

gold, but, unfortunately, it didn't work 

out. I am sure in the next Olympics he 

will win the gold," he said. 

"I am happy with this medal 

because he is now the only Indian to 

have won two Olympic 

medals. He deserves this 

success as he has worked 

so hard in the last few 

years to get here. Sushil 

didn't let anything affect 

him. He injured his 

shoulder in the earlier 

bouts but continued 

without complaining," he 

said. 

"I want to thank 

Sushil’s parents for 

giving birth to such a 

champion wrestler and 

allowing me to train 

him," he added. 

About Yogeshwar Dutt’s victory in 

London Olympics, coach 

Satpal Singh said that he 

was happy and proud 

that his training and 

Yogeshwar’s hard work 

had finally paid off. 

Praising the grappler, 

he said, “He used to be 

lean and thin and his 

mother was always 

worried about his health. 

It was his sincerity that 

made him better than 

others.” 

“When Yogeshwar 

came to me, he was just 

16. From the very first day, 

I saw the traits of a very 

good wrestler in him. He 

never stopped and kept 

practising even after it was 

time to go home. I have no 

words to describe him. My 

Yogi is a gem,” an elated 

Satpal added. 

“I want to congratulate 

the entire country. It is 

because of their good 

wishes and prayers that we 

have won two medals in 

wrestling,” he said. 

P GOPICHAND 

Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal’s 

coach, and a former Indian badminton 

player, was unable to win an Olympic 

medal himself, but he realised his 

dream through his ward Saina Nehwal 

who clinched a historic bronze medal 

in London. 

Gopichand won the All England 

Open Badminton Championships in 

2001 and became the second Indian to 

achieve this feat after Prakash 

Padukone, who won it in 1980. He was 

awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 

Award in 2001. But later on, his game 

was affected due to injuries. In 2005, he 

was awarded the Padma Shri.


At a time when in almost every 

sport there is a clamour for foreign 

coaches, Saina has stuck with Gopi. 

He is training her for the past many 

years. "It's a very special relationship 

with Saina. From Beijing to London, it 

has been a long journey. She has 

laboured hard on her fitness and 

speed," said Gopi. 

“It still seems like yesterday when 

Saina lost the quarter-final in Beijing 

and here she is today with a bronze 

medal for herself and the country," 

said coach Gopi. He was extremely 

happy that a sport which he has been 

associated with for almost two decades 

has got glory for the country. 

"It's incredible. Winning a medal in 

badminton in the Olympics is a big 

thing and Saina has put in a very good 

effort," he added. 

Describing Saina Nehwal as 

'phenomenal', the coach said if Saina 

had not won the Olympic medal, his 

life would have been incomplete."I had 

dreamt that one day we will bring an 

Olympic medal. All my goals have 

been fulfilled. But it was a real 

challenge,” said a satisfied Gopichand. 

VAIBHAV AGASHE 

Vaibhav Agashe, shooter Gagan 

Narang’s mental trainer is a former 

CBI official. When he entered the field 

of sport, he brought with him the 

investigation techniques, especially 

the use of lie detection tests. The 

result is there for everyone to see - 

one medal in the London Olympics. 

Vaibhav Agashe, the 

sports psychologist 

appointed by the Sports 

Authority of India (SAI) 

before the London 

Olympics, who had 

accompanied six 

shooters of the Indian 

shooting team, including 

Gagan Narang, made an 

innovative use of 

polygraph technique on 

players. Narang went on 

to win a bronze in 10 

metre air rifle at the 2012 

London Olympic Games. 

Pawan Singh, coach, 

Indian shooting team, 

says, "Agashe and Narang have been 

together for over six years. Agashe 

helped the team by preparing the 

shooters to face the game amidst 

pressure. His techniques helped the 

players focus better." 

Sport was Agashe's passion even 

during his five-year stint with the CBI 

as a senior officer. Agashe said, 


"Psychological treatment plays a 

crucial role in a player's life. It is not 

just about giving a pep talk or a 

motivational speech before a game. 

Since every player is different, a 

psychologist needs to develop an 

understanding that 

differs from one 

individual to the other. 

This understanding is 

built through mutual 

respect and trust." 

"I started mapping 

the players' response to 

pressure, generated 

reports known as bio 

feedback about how 

their body reacts to 

pressure of 

performance and 

started discussing it 

with them," added 

Agashe. The lie 

detection technique 

turned out to be quite a revelation to 

the players, who began to look deeper 

into their own psyche. 

Gagan Narang said, "The 

polygraph test conducted by Agashe 

helped me a lot. My performance was 

analysed with the help of the test. It 

helped me improve on my minor 

weaknesses." g

London 

Olympics 

2012 

-A photo feature 

Fireworks herald the Games

24 

COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Wrestler Sushil Kumar about to floor his opponent


COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE 25

26 

COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt shows his class


COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE 27

28 

COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE HARYANA REVIEW 

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal in action

Shooting the bronze: Gagan Narang 

Sushil Kumar leads Indian contingent at march past

30 COVER STORY- PHOTO FEATURE

Olympics in different hues

32 


Indian hockey team at 1936 Olympics in Berlin 

Tracing history 

of Olympics 

Ruchi Sharma 

From ancient to modern Olympics, 

the mega international sports 

event has come a long way. Sports 

have always been peoples’ favourite 

since times immemorial. The history 

of Olympics can be traced to 776 BC 

when the first Ancient Olympics 

were held in Olympia, Greece. The 

Ancient Olympic Games were a 

series of competitions held between 

representatives of several city-states 

and kingdoms in Ancient Greece. 

These games featured not only 

athletic, but also combat and chariotracing 

events. 

1896: The Frenchman Pierre de 

Coubertin was the driving force 

behind the Modern Olympic Games, 

which were first held at Athens, 

Greece in 1896. Summer Games have 

been happening every four years 

since then, except during wartime in 

1916, 1940 and 1944. At the first 1896 

Olympics event, 14 countries were 

represented by about 245 men, 

competing in 43 events. Olympics are 

a major international event today. 

Now the number of athletes has 

reached 10,500, representing 204 

National Olympic Committees 

(NOCs), in the London Olympics 2012 

and number of events is 302. 

Since the Olympic Games of 1896 

were not well publicised 

internationally, contestants were not 

nationally chosen but rather came 

individually and at their own 

expense. Some contestants were 

tourists who happened to be in the 

area during the Games. Athletes wore 

their athletic club uniform rather 

than a national team one. Australia, 

France, Greece, Great Britain and 

Switzerland are the only five 

countries which never failed to be 

represented at Olympics since 1896. 

Pole vaulting, sprints, shot put, 

weight lifting, swimming, cycling, 

target shooting, tennis, marathon and 

gymnastics were all events at the 

first Olympics. 

1920: The Olympic flag was first 

flown during the 1920 Olympic 

Games. The five rings symbolise the 

five significant continents and are 

interconnected to symbolise the 

friendship to be gained from these 

international competitions. The 

rings, from left to right, are blue, 

yellow, black, green, and red. The 

colours were chosen because at least 

one of them appeared on the flag of 

every country in the world. 

The first authentic Indian team 

took part at the 1920 Antwerp 

Olympic Games in athletics and 

wrestling. A National Olympic 

Committee was finally formed in 

1927. From 1920 Olympics to London 

Olympics 2012, India has won 24 

medals in Olympics of which nine 

are gold, four are silver and 11 are 

bronze. Of the total medals vouched 

by India in Olympics, 11 have been 

won in hockey, two in boxing, four in 

shooting, four in wrestling and one 

each in tennis, badminton and 

weightlifting. 

1928: India's greatest success at the 

Olympics has come in men's hockey. 

The Indian hockey team won gold at 

every Olympics from 1928 to 1956. In 

1960, they reached the final but lost to 

Pakistan to end the sequence. 

India's first gold medal winning 

squad at the Amsterdam Olympic 

Games in 1928 included legendary 

hockey player Dhyan Chand, known 

as the ‘wizard of hockey’ who won 

three consecutive gold medals. India’s 

last gold medal success in this sport 

came at the Moscow 1980 Olympic 

Games. 

First time, in 1952 Helsinki 

Olympics, India won an individual 

medal (bronze) other than hockey 

which is a team sports. It was won by 

Kha-Shaba Jadhav in freestyle 

wrestling. Karnam Malleswari, an 

Indian Weightlifter, became the first 

Indian woman to win an Olympic 

medal (bronze) at Sydney Olympics, 

2000. 

Indian shooters made their mark 

in the new millennium. 

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won 

silver in the men's double trap in 

Athens Olympics, 2004. Shooter 

Abhinav Bhindra became India's first 

individual gold medallist when he 

won the 10m air rifle at the Beijing 

2008 Olympic Games. 

Sushil Kumar won India bronze 

medal in Beijing which was the 

second medal for India in freestyle 

wrestling, after the Helsinki Olympic 

Games of 1952. 

The next Olympics 2016 would be 

held at Rio de Janerio in Brazil. g


Haryana’s stint 

Haryana has once again declared its 

supremacy in Olympics. A 

contingent of 81 players represented 

India in various sports competitions at 

London Olympics, out of which 19 

players were from Haryana. Out of the 

six medals won by India, four were 

won by Haryana. 

Haryana first came into limelight 

during the Beijing Olympics 2008 when 

boxer Vijender Kumar from Bhiwani 

district of Haryana won India its first 

ever Olympic medal in boxing and 

Sushil Kumar won India’s second 

Olympic medal in wrestling. In 2012 

London Olympics, Indian men's 

national field hockey team 

participated after a gap of 8 years. The 

team included Sandeep Singh and 

Sardar Singh of Haryana. 

The London Olympics were 

Haryana’s seventh representation in 

the mega international sports event 

since its inception on November 1, 

1966. Haryana first represented India 

in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow with 

its two players Sant Kumar (athletics) 

and Ajmer Singh Chopra (basketball) 

Medals won by India in Olympics 

Olympics held Sports Medal 

1928 Amsterdam Hockey 1 G 

1932 Los Angeles Hockey 1 G 

1936 Berlin Hockey 1 G 

1948 London Hockey 1 G 

1952 Helsinki Hockey 1 G 

Wrestling 1 B 

1956 Melbourne Hockey 1 G 

1960 Rome Hockey 1 S 

1964 Tokyo Hockey 1 G 

1968 Mexico Hockey 1 B 

1972 Munich Hockey 1 B 

1980 Moscow Hockey 1 G 

1996 Atlanta Tennis 1 B 

2000 Sydney Weightlifting 1 B 

2004 Athens Shooting 1 S 

2008 Beijing Shooting 1 G 

Boxing 2 B 

Freestyle 

2012 London Shooting 2 S 

4 B 

Total 24 

So far India has won 9 gold, 4 silver 

and 11 bronze medals 

in a contingent of 56 players from 

India. After that, Chand Ram 

(athlete) of Haryana 

represented the country 

in the 1984 Olympics 

in Los Angeles by 

being one of the 

eight players of the 

Indian contingent. 

Hockey player Didar 

Singh, the brother of 

Sardar Singh (hockey 

player) of Haryana 

was among the Indian 

contingent of 22 players 

in the 1992 Olympics in 

Barcelona. Of the 74 players of the 

Indian contingents in 2000 Olympics in 

Sydney, two players were from 

Haryana-- Neelam J Singh (Discus 

Throw) and Jitender Kumar (Boxing); 

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, of the 

71 players of the Indian contingent, 9 

were from Haryana-- Seema Antil and 

Neelam Jaswant Singh Dogra (Discus 

Throw); Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar 

and Vijender Kumar (Boxing); Sandeep 

Singh (Hockey); and Yogeshwar Dutt, 


Ramesh Kumar and Sushil Kumar 

(Wrestling). In the 2008 Beijing 

Olympics, of the total 55 players of 

the Indian contingent, 9 were from 

Haryana-- Yogeshwar Dutt and 

Sushil Kumar (Wrestling); 

Sanjeev Rajput (Shooting); 

Divya Tewar (Judo); 

Vijender Kumar, Akhil 

Kumar, Jitender 

Kumar and Dinesh 

Kumar (Boxing); and 

Krishna Poonia 

(Discus Throw). 

This year, in the 

London Olympics 

2012, of the 81 players 

of the Indian 

contingent, 19 were from 

Haryana-- Seema Antil, 

Krishna Poonia and Om Prakash 

Karhana (athletics); Geeta Phogat, 

Yogeshwar Dutt, Amit Kumar and 

Sushil Kumar (wrestling); Sumit 

Sangwan, Manoj Kumar, Vikas 

Krishan, Vijender Singh and Jai 

Bhagwan (boxing); Gagan Narang, 

Annuraj Singh and Sanjeev Rajput 

(shooting); Sandeep Singh and Sardar 

Singh (hockey); Garima Chaudhary 

(Judo); and Saina Nehwal 

(badminton). g 

Olympics and Haryana since 1966 

Olympics Sports No. of participants 

India Haryana 

1968 Hockey 15 - 

1972 Hockey 18 - 

1976 Hockey, Athletics 20 - 

1980 Hockey, Athletics 56 2 

1984 Athletics 8 1 

1988 Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Hockey, 

Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis 

34 - 

1992 Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Hockey, Tennis 22 1 

1996 Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Hockey, 

Swimming, Tennis 

29 - 

2000 Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Hockey, 

Judo, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, 

Tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling 

74 2 

2004 Athletics, Hockey, Badminton, Boxing, 

Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, 

Swimming, Tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling 

71 9 

2008 Athletics, Women's Heptathlon, Badminton, 

Boxing, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, 

Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Wrestling 

55 9 

2012 Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, 

Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, 

Table Tennis, tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling 

81 19

34 

Haryana Review tracks succes

s of Haryana Olympic players 

35

36 


Great motivator: 

Sports policy of Haryana 

The Haryana Government’s sports policy is playing an important role 

in motivating the players to excel in sports and bring glory to the 

state and nation through their achievements 

Swati Sethi 

If in 2012 London Olympics, out of 

the total 81 sportspersons of the 

Indian contingent, 19 were from 

Haryana, the credit for it goes to the 

Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh 

Hooda, who enthused the players by 

revising the state sports policy last 

year and motivated them to put in 

their best in sports. 

A beaming Mr Hooda, said, “It is 

due to the sports policy of the state 

government that maximum number of 

players from Haryana participated in 

the London Olympics.” He said that 

out of the seven selected boxers for 

London Games, five were from 

Haryana and all the three players who 

had qualified in wrestling were also 

from the state. 

The Chief Minister further added, 

“In order to inspire the players, the 

government had revised the award 

money given to the medal winners in 

Olympics.” 

Winners of gold medal have been 

given prize money of Rs 2.50 crore, 

silver medal have been given Rs 1.50 

crore and winners of bronze medal 

have been given Rs one crore. Besides, 

Rs 11 lakh each has been given to 

those competing in the Olympics. The 

coaches of these sportspersons have 

also been given Rs one lakh each. 

The state government also raised 

the slogan ‘Padak Lao-Pad Pao’. 

Besides the cash awards, the medal 

winners have been given jobs in 

various government departments and 

corporations. 

Committed to developing sports in 

the state and making Haryana a sports 

powerhouse, the state government 

revisited the sports policy in 2011. The 

revised sports policy ensures a secure 

future for the outstanding 

sportspersons in the state. It includes 

offer of employment in government 

departments, boards and corporations, 

reservation of seats for admission to 

professional or technical institutes 

and universities and setting up of 

Haryana Sports Development Fund. 

Under the revised sports policy, the 

sportspersons are offered employment 

opportunities in government 

departments, boards and corporations 

on the basis of their achievements. 

Till now, the government was offering 

jobs to outstanding sportspersons only 

in the Police Department. 

The award money given by Haryana


to the medal winners of the 

Commonwealth and the Asian Games 

medal winners is the highest in the 

country. In Commonwealth Games, the 

gold medal winners were given Rs 15 

lakh each, silver medal winners Rs 10 

lakh each and bronze medal winners 

Rs 5 lakh each. Similarly, in case of 

Asian Games, the winners of gold, 

silver and bronze medals were 

awarded Rs 25 lakh, Rs 15 lakh and Rs 

10 lakh each, respectively. 

FUNDS FOR VILLAGES 

Also, funds were given for 

development of native villages of 

medal winners of Asian and 

Commonwealth Games. The villages of 

gold, silver and bronze medal winners 

were given Rs 51 lakh, Rs 31 lakh and 

Rs 21 lakh, respectively. Players 

bagging the Arjuna Award, 

Dronacharya Award and Bhim Award, 

are given Rs 5,000 every month. 

Under the new Policy, the medal 

winners of Olympic Games and gold 

medal winners of Asian Games are 

offered the post of Class-II gazetted 

officers in government departments, 

boards and corporations. The silver 

and bronze medal winners of Asian 

Games, gold and silver medal winners 

of Commonwealth Games and gold 

medal winners of World 

Championships organised by sports 

federations are offered Class-III posts. 

Suitable employment opportunities 

in government departments, boards 

and corporations are offered to the 

participants of Olympic Games, 

winners of bronze medals in 

Commonwealth Games, winners of 

silver and bronze medals in World 

Championships and medal winners of 

Asian Championships. 

As many as 37 sportspersons have 

been given jobs in the Police 

Department. Five sportspersons of the 

state were given the posts DSP in the 

Haryana Police for winning gold 

medals in the 2010 Asian and 

Commonwealth Games. Similarly, 18 

other players, including 10 kabaddi 

players, five wrestlers, one shooter, 

one boxer and one hockey player, were 

given the post of inspector, while 14 

other players were offered the post of 

sub-inspector for being in the category 

of winners of silver or bronze medal 

in Asian and Commonwealth Games. 

The minimum age for class-II post 

is 21 years and that for class-III post is 

18 years. A sportsperson, preferably 

graduate in any discipline, is 

National awards for Haryana players 

Olympic bronze medal-winning 

wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt received 

the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel 

Ratna award — containing a medal, 

ceremonial dress, a certificate and a 

cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh — from 

President Pranab Mukherjee in a 

packed Ashoka Hall at the 

Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. 

Since 2009, when three 

sportspersons (boxers MC Mary 

Kom and Vijender Singh, and 

wrestler Sushil Kumar) bagged the 

honour, more than one athlete has 

won the award every year (this 

year—Yogeshwar Dutt and shooter 

Vijay Kumar). 

“I am thrilled. I had the desire to 

win the Olympic medal and I 

achieved it. This award is also a big 

honour. This will motivate me to do 

better in the Rio Olympics,” said 

Yogeshwar Dutt. 

Wrestlers Geeta Phogat and 

considered for class-II posts and a 

sportsperson with 10+2 certificate 

from any board is considered for class- 

III posts. Earlier, 12 sportspersons 

were appointed DSPs, one inspector, 30 

sub-inspectors and 318 constables 

under the sports quota. 

Under the revised sports policy, it 

was decided to reserve three per cent 

seats for sportspersons in professional 

or technical institutes and universities 

so as to encourage them to join such 

institutes. This decision has been 

implemented in all government and 

non-government professional and 

technical institutes and universities of 

Haryana. 

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT FUND 

A Haryana Sports Development Fund 

with corpus of Rs 5 crore has been set 

up for which assistance has been 

sought from non-government 

institutes and industrial houses for 

the welfare of sportspersons. As many 

as 168 ground managers and an equal 

number of groundmen have been 

appointed for the Rajiv Gandhi Rural 

Sports Stadia constructed by the state 

government. 

The government has decided that in 

order to promote sports, various 

boards and corporations would run 

sports nurseries and academies. 

The parameters to confer 

prestigious Bhim Puraskar have also 


Rajinder Kumar, boxer Vikas 

Krishan, hockey player Sardar 

Singh, shooter Annu Raj Singh, 

Anup Kumar (kabaddi) and Deepa 

Malik (Paralympics-athletics) were 

awarded the Arjuna award. The 

Arjuna award carries a statuette, a 

certificate, ceremonial dress and a 

cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. 

Geeta Phogat, the first woman 

wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, 

said her Arjuna award would inspire 

youngsters. “There are a lot of girls 

who are taking up wrestling. Like 

my Olympic qualification, this too 

will motivate them.” 

Three coaches from Haryana 

were awarded the Dronacharya 

award-- Virender Poonia (athletics), 

Sunil Dabas (kabaddi-women) and 

Yashvir Singh (wrestling). The 

Dronacharya award carries a 

statuette, a certificate, ceremonial 

dress and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. 

been revised. It has been decided that 

in future, the annual Bhim Puraskar 

would be conferred upon three 

sportspersons of individual games, 

two sportspersons of team games and 

one Para-Olympic player. 

Haryana is the first state to 

implement a Talent Hunt programme- 

SPAT (Sports and Physical Aptitude 

Test) to choose promising players 

through a scientific approach. 

SPAT 

Anyone who qualifies SPAT over six 

times out of 12 (8-19 years) is 

considered for class-II and class-III 

posts. Those who qualify SPAT six 

times get first claim on vacancies in 

police constabulary or equivalent rank 

where physical fitness is important. 

This encourages many boys and girls 

from the state to take up sports as a 

career and stay away from drugs and 

disruptive social behavior, a condition 

laid in SPAT. 

Under this programme, those in the 

age group of eight to 14 years get a 

scholarship of Rs 1,500 per month and 

those in the age group of 15 to 19 years 

are given a scholarship of Rs 2,000 per 

month. 

Thus, the state government’s sports 

policy is playing an important role in 

motivating players to excel in sports 

and bring glory to the state and nation 

through their achievements. g

38 


Infra here bridges 

rural–urban divide 

The state government is providing excellent sports infrastructure to 

its sportspersons to hone their skills 

Ruchi Sharma 

Infrastructure is to sports what 

blood is to human body. The secret 

of Haryana sportspersons bringing 

laurels to the state and earning 

national and international 

recognition lies in the rich sporting 

infrastructure spanning villages and 

towns, which enabled them to be what 

they are today. 

At present, the state has two state 

level stadiums. There are 21 district 

level stadiums and 221 of small level. 

Work is in progress to construct 11 

more stadia. At block level, out of 226 

stadiums, 133 have already been 

completed. 

Young players practising at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula 

Speaking about the sports 

infrastructure, Chief Minister 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “The 

second aspect of our Sports Policy is 

to provide basic infrastructure to the 

youth so that they polish their skills 

in a scientific manner. We have set up 

stadiums at different places, 

especially in rural areas.”


“Presently, we are imparting 

training to more than 5,600 promising 

sportspersons in 139 nurseries, 72 

sports wings and 16 sports academies. 

The state government has decided to 

recruit about 790 coaches so that our 

children get good training,” he added. 

The state government is spending 

crores of rupees on developing sports 

infrastructure in the state to provide 

the best of training facilities to its 

players. The budget of Sports 

Department has been enhanced by 

three times. During the current 

financial year, a provision of more 

than Rs 107 crore has been made. 

There are four hockey Astro turfs 

in the state located at Sirsa, Rai, 

Shahabad and Gurgaon, and three 

synthetic athletic tracks are located at 

Rohtak, Panchkula and Hisar. 

As many as 133 Rajiv Gandhi 

Gramin Khel Parisars stands 

complete at block level on an area of 

6.5 acres, and 93 are under 

construction. These Khel Parisars are 

providing rural population with 

playing facilities in ten popular 

games. Players are using them for 

practice and competitive events. Rajiv 

Gandhi Gramin Khel Parisars have a 

boundary wall, stage, athletic track, 

football playground, volleyball and 

basketball courts, and a multipurpose 

hall. 

MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION 

The results are for all to see; a 

contingent of 11 sportspersons from 

Haryana participated in the Beijing 

Olympics, 2008, and the number has 

increased to 19 in London Olympics 

2012; the state had the biggest 

contingent of 52 sportspersons in the 

Commonwealth Games, 2010, and it 

won 28 medals out of total 101 medals 

won by India; out of the 15 Arjuna 

awardees in 2010, five were from the 

state, which is the highest 

representation by any state. 

RURAL SPORTS TALENT 

Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel 

Abiyan (PYKKA) is an initiative of 

the Central Government to take care 

of the sports talent at grassroots level 

and groom them for national and 

international events. The main aim of 

the programme is to make available 

the basic sporting facilities to 

ruralites and give talented young 

athletes in the countryside 

opportunities to build a career in 

sports. 

Haryana is actively implementing 

this programme since 2008-09. The 

state has 6,190 villages and 119 blocks. 

At the rate of 619 villages and 12 

blocks a year, 1,857 villages and 36 

blocks have been covered so far. Under 

this centrally-sponsored programme, 

the state government shares 25 per 

cent of the project cost. 

PYKKA is involved in development 

of playgrounds in villages and blocks 

at a cost of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh 

per playground, respectively. Covering 

10 per cent of the villages every year, 

the programme aims at covering the 

entire state within a period of 10 

years. 

TALENT NURTURING 

Day-boarding centres, residential 

nurseries, wings and academies are 

being run by the Sports Department’s 

coaches to train players aspiring for a 

career in sports. For organising 


coaching camps for talented players 

and ‘Training of Trainers’ 

Programme for coaches, 10 Regional 

Sports Development Centres have 

been set up. 

These centers are being run by the 

Sports Department coaches, Krida 

Shris and Physical Training 

Instructors/ Director of Physical 

Education (PTIs/DPEs). Sports & 

Physical Aptitude Test (SPAT) 

qualifiers and medal winners at dayboarding 

centers are getting 

scholarships, coaching, sports 

equipment and competitive 

opportunities. 

There are 11 residential nurseries 

where 233 players are being groomed. 

Admission to these nurseries is open 

to SPAT qualifiers and medal winners 

at state level and participants at 

national level in the age group of 8-14. 

They continue to be in nurseries till 

they turn 19. They get diet money @ 

Rs 150 per day, sports kits, equipment, 

coaching and opportunities to play in 

grassroots tournaments. 

DAILY REFRESHMENT 

Under the Wing Scheme, medal 

winners at state level and participants 

at national level competitions are 

given coaching by department’s 

coaches and refreshment at the cost of 

Rs 60 per day for six months. In 2010- 

11, as many as 1,689 state-level medal 

winners and participants at national 

level got cash benefits of Rs 60 per day 

for six months as refreshment money 

at 114 wing centres. 

The programme was modified in 

2011-12 to make it more effective. In 

order to make it substantive, the 

scheme has been extended for entire 

year and rate has been revised to Rs 

1,500 per month for junior players and 

Rs 2,000 for senior ones. 

In order to stem transition losses, it 

has been decided to transfer the 

money directly into beneficiaries’ 

account provided they attend the 

practice for 22 days in a month and 

abstain from drug and delinquency. 

Players training at day-boarding 

academies will be given Rs 2,000 per 

month. Those in residential 

academies will also get the diet 

money. 

“The huge money being spent and 

efforts made by the government 

become worthwhile when the state’s 

sports stars win laurels for the country 

in big international sports events,” 

said a proud Mr Hooda. g

40 


Catching and 

grooming 

young talent 

The state government is implementing the 

talent hunt programme, Play for India- 

Sports and Physical Aptitude Tests (SPAT), 

with full vigour to identify potential athletes 

in the state and help them excel in sports 

Swati Sethi 

The sportspersons from Haryana 

are making India proud in 

various national and international 

events like Olympics, Commonwealth 

Games and Asian Games by winning 

medals for the country. Determined 

to continue this winning spree in 

future also by encouraging more 

youngsters to join sports, the 

Haryana Government, led by the 

Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh 

Hooda, is spending crores of rupees 

on catching and grooming the young 

talent of the state under its 

programme, Play for India- Sports 

and Physical Aptitude Tests (SPAT). 

It was in 2010 that the state 

government started the Play 4 India- 

SPAT to identify potential athletes in 

the state and help them excel in 

sports through scholarships and


training. Haryana is the first state to 

implement this talent hunt 

programme to choose promising 

players through a scientific 

approach. 

This scheme is giving opportunity 

to thousands of young children of 

the state to opt for sports as a career. 

The main objective of this test is to 

help aspiring athletes in the age 

group of 8-19 years to have a 

measurable indicator of their fitness 

level and sporting aptitude. 

“With a view to encouraging 

children to participate in sports, 

SPAT programme was started. So far, 

25 lakh children have participated 

under this programme,” the Chief 

Minister told Haryana Review. “I 

think everybody must play at least 

one game. At the age of 65, I still play 

tennis daily,” he added. 

SPAT is a series of seven physical 

tests designed to measure agility, 

flexibility, endurance and strength of 

a player. Differential analysis of 

one’s SPAT score also gives a fair idea 

of one’s suitability for a particular 

game. 

The Chief Minister said that the 

state government was keen to see 

that the potential athletes were 

nurtured properly. With this objective 

in mind, SPAT has been introduced 

in schools. Under this programme, 

those in the age group of 8 to 14 years 

get a scholarship of Rs 1,500 per 

month and those in the age group of 

15 to 19 years are given a scholarship 

of Rs 2,000 per month. The validity of 

SPAT score for grant of scholarship 

is limited to one financial year. 

“It is a very good platform for all 

the aspiring sportspersons of the 

state. Anyone who qualifies SPAT 

over six times out of 12 (8-19 years) 

will be considered for class-II and 

class-III posts. Those who qualify 

SPAT six times will get first claim 

over vacancies in police constabulary 

or equivalent rank where physical 

fitness is important,” said Mr Hooda. 

“This will encourage many boys and 

girls from the state to take up sports 

as a career and stay away from drugs 

and disruptive social behavior, a 

condition laid in SPAT,” he added. 

So far, an amount of Rs 9.51 crore 

has been given as scholarship to 

about 5,000 promising players under 

this programme. This makes 

Haryana first state in the country to 

give such an incentive. Under SPAT- 

2011, 7.50 lakh players were 

registered online and 25 lakh players 

participated. 

Besides scholarship, the SPAT 

qualifiers are given kits, equipment, 

coaching and access to playgrounds 

throughout the state. Participants are 

free to choose their games on their 

own and get opportunities to compete 

in grassroots competitions. 

SPAT 2010 

Started in 2010, SPAT drew a huge 

response. Over 80,000 students 

applied for the test which was 

conducted in two rounds. More than 

46,000 students turned up for the test, 

out of which 5,162 participants 

scoring over 75 per cent qualified for 

the second round. As many as 1,606 

students scoring 75 per cent in the 

second round were selected for the 

scholarship. 

Out of the total selected students, 

88 per cent of the qualifiers were 

boys and 12 per cent were girls. While 

71 per cent participants were in the 

age group of 8-14 years, 29 per cent 

were in the age group of 15-19 years. 

Bhiwani, Rohtak, Sonipat and Hisar 

accounted for 988 out of 1,606 

qualifiers. 

SPAT 2011 

As many as 25 lakh students 

participated in SPAT 2011. A total of 

7.6 lakh students applied online in 10 

days. Thirty one per cent of online 

applicants were girls. Applicants 

showed more interest in athletics, 

kho-kho, cricket, badminton and 

football. A total of 4,991 players 

qualified for the scholarship in SPAT 

2011. Bhiwani, Hisar, Rohtak and 

Sonipat districts showed the 

maximum participation. As many as 

1,360 players got selected from 

Bhiwani district. Hisar was second in 

the list with 655 players. 

SPAT 2012 

More than 30 lakh young boys and 

girls participated in the SPAT 2012. 

The SPAT strategy 


n Catch them young: Identify 

talented players at an early age 

and help them in developing into 

top-rung players in games of 

their liking. 

n Conditional Cash Transfer 

model: Money passed on 

conditionally to the target 

persons to enable them to 

organise things on their own. 

n Stake for good behaviour: 

Award of scholarship is 

contingent on practice for 22 

days and abstinence from drug 

and delinquency. 

Different schools conducted Round I 

of SPAT [30 m flying race, 6 x10 m 

shuttle run and standing broad jump] 

for their wards and aspirants in their 

locality. Those children who scored 

more than 75 per cent qualified for 

Round II, which was organised by the 

Sports Department. Top 5,000 

qualified for scholarships after the 

third and final round. 

There is a plan to step up the level 

of participation progressively and 

universalise SPAT in the 8-19 years 

age group by 2013. It would enable 

youngsters to have an idea of their 

level of fitness and athletic potential, 

and plan a career in sports. 

For SPAT 2013, online registration 

will start from September 1 to 

October 31, 2012. First round will be 

conducted from November 8 to 

November 17, 2012. Second round for 

qualifiers of school round will be 

conducted from December 6 to 

December 15, 2012 and the final round 

will be conducted from January 20 to 

25, 2013. 

With the state government 

working really hard to produce more 

sports stars for the country, Haryana 

is surely going to live up to its 

reputation of being the sports 

powerhouse of India in future, too. g 

Discipline 

Seven tests conducted under SPAT: 

Significance 

30 metre flying Tests speed 

Standing broad jump Tests strength of the lower portion of body 

Vertical jump Tests the explosive power such as strength and speed 

Forward bend & reach Tests flexibility 

6 x10 shuttle Tests agility 

Medicine ball put Tests shoulder strength 

800 metre race Tests endurance

42 

SPECIAL REPORT HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Looking hence: 203 

Come 2031 and the face of many towns in Haryana will change for the better, 

thanks to the vision and far-sightedness of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder 

Singh Hooda, who wants to make Haryana No.1 state in terms of development and 

people’s welfare. 

The Chief Minister has approved the Draft Development Plan 2031 for five towns– 

Kurukshetra, Farukhnagar, Sohna, Rohtak and Pataudi-Haily Mandi– to ensure their 

future development in a planned manner. These plans were approved at a meeting of 

the State Level Committee of Town and Country Planning Department held under 

the chairmanship of the Chief Minister. 

The Haryana Review team has compiled the draft development plans of all the five 

towns to present a rough sketch of how these towns will look in 2031. 

Giving Kurukshetra a modern look 

The Draft Development Plan of 

Kurukshetra 2031 AD ensures a 

planned development of the town with 

projected population of 7.46 lakh. 

Under the plan, about 36.28 per cent 

area would be developed for residential 

purposes and 9.26 per cent for industry. 

The provisions of the Final 

Development Plan-2021 AD have been 

retained to a large extent, except for 

some minor changes. In order to 

accommodate the additional areas due 

to increase in residential density, new 

sectors have been added. 

The Chief Minister has directed 

officers to identify land for developing 

air-strip at Kurukshetra to boost 

tourism at the pilgrim town, which is 

expected to attract more people from 

across the world, after the Balaji 

temple comes up there. 

He has also directed them to 

earmark two sectors in Kurukshetra to 

be exclusively developed by the 

Haryana Urban Development 

Authority. Each sector would be 

developed on an area of 250 to 300 

acres. 

According to Census 1981, a total of 

49,069 persons were residing in 

Kurukshetra. After three decades, the 

population grew more than fivefold 

and according to the Census 2011, 

population of Kurukshetra stands at 

2.58 lakh. The projected population of 

the town in the next three decades is 

expected to be 7.46 lakh by 2031, which 

means increase in density of persons 

per acre. Rising population at 65 per 

cent decennial growth calls for a 

planned development of Kurukshetra 

by the Town and Country Planning 

Department. 

THE SALIENT FEATURES OF DDP OF 

KURUKSHETRA 2031 AD 

n Residential sectors 1, 9, 11 to 13, 14 

(part), 15 (part), 44 (part), 45, 46 and 

47 (Part) have been proposed in 

proximity to the earlier residential 

sectors, along the periphery road 

and on both side of NH-1 for better 

connectivity with surrounding 

areas. 

n An area of 1,139 hectares has been 

proposed for Transport and 

Communication purposes. Major 

areas have been proposed on 

Ambala-Delhi NH-1 in sector 1, 33 

Part, 39 Part and 44 Part. Site of bus 

stand has been proposed in sector 1 

on NH-1 

n One combined site for Solid Waste 

Management for Kurukshetra and 

Shahabad has been proposed in the


agriculture zone revenue estate of 

village Tyora-Tyori on NH-1. 

n Periphery road of width 75 metres 

has been proposed around the town 

to separate the bye-pass traffic from 

the intra-city traffic. 

n An area of about 928 hectares is 

proposed under open spaces, parks 

and green belts. The Town Level 

Park already stands developed in 

sector-2. The open spaces have also 

been proposed in sectors- 6, 12, 21 

and 48. 

n The land-use proposals of Draft 

Development Plan-Kurukshetra 2031 

AD propose a total area of 6,855 

hectares to include residential, 

commercial, industrial, transport 

and communication, public utilities, 

open spaces and green belt, and 

public and semi-public use. The 

residential area will have 2,487 

hectares and 1,139 hectares will be 

used for transport and 

communication. 

CONTROLLED AREAS 

In order to control the haphazard and 

unregulated development around the 

city, following Controlled Areas have 

been declared under the provisions of 

Section 4 of Act. No. 41 of 1963: 

Kurukshetra Part-A & B, Part-C, Part- 

D, Part-E, Part-F and Additional 

Controlled Area. 

ABOUT KURUKSHETRA 

Known for its sacredness, Kurukshetra 

is every year thronged by a large 

number of pilgrims from all over 

India. The famous temples and the 

sacred Brahamsarovar and Sanhit 

tank are located in the south and 

attract many pilgrims. These tanks 

SPECIAL REPORT 43 

1 plan for five Haryana towns 

T he Draft Development Plan 2031 of 

Farukhnagar in Gurgaon district 

has been prepared for a projected 

population of 1.15 lakh by 2031. A total 

area of 942.5 hectares would be 

developed with residential density of 

250 persons per hectare. Forty per cent 

of the area would be developed as 

residential and about 6.83 per cent as 

industrial sector. 

The Draft Plan has proposed 377 

hectares for residential purposes, 36.5 

hectares for commercial, 64.4 hectares 

for industrial, 145.5 hectares for 

transport & communication, 40 

hectares for public utility, 145 hectares 

for public and semi public purposes 

and 134.1 hectares for open spaces and 

green belts. 

An area of 80 hectares of the 

existing town has been excluded from 

Landuse proposals of DDP 

Kurukshetra 

Land use Area %age 

Residential 

(in hectares) 

2,487 36.28 

Commercial 552 8.05 

Industrial 635 9.26 

Transport 

& Communication 

1,139 16.62 

Public Utilities 273 3.98 

Public and 

Semi Public Use 

841 12.27 

Open spaces 

and Green belt 

928 13.54 

Total 6,855 100 

Farukhnagar in for a revamp 

restrict the growth of the town 

towards south and extensive physical 

development is not desirable around 

these because this area is flooded with 

people on auspicious occasions. 

The prospects of expansion of the 

town towards the south-western side 

are blocked by the sprawling campus of 

the Kurukshetra University and the 

Regional Engineering College. 

Therefore, scope of expansion of the 

town is towards north-eastern and the 

eastern side of the town. In fact, the 

town has rapidly expanded in this 

direction during the last decade. 

Kurukshetra town is favourably 

located on the National Highway No.1 

(GT Road) and also on the Delhi- 

Ambala Railway Line. This has helped 

the town to expand towards east on 

account of good access which has led 

to the development of HUDA sectors in 

this direction. The Narwana-Branch 

Canal and Satluj-Yamuna Canal Link 

form its western boundary while 

Saraswati Nadi forms its northern 

barrier. 

Kurukshetra is surrounded by very 

fertile agriculture hinterland and has 

vast scope for commerce and trading 

in addition to being an educational and 

administrative centre.

44 


the above areas. 

ECONOMIC BASE 

As per census of 2011, the population 

of the town is 15,715 persons. The 

people in the town are mainly engaged 

in trade and service. The agricultural 

economy also has a significant share 

and the near completion of KMP 

Expressway has really provided 

impetus to the growth of the region. 

The town in near future is bound to 

experience stupendous growth due to 

the various theme cities such as World 

Trade City, Entertainment City and 

Fashion City proposed along the KMP 

Expressway, and the vicinity of 

Sultanpur National Park-Eco Sensitive 

Zone. 

In addition, the good higher 

educational facilities available in the 

town have really uplifted the economy 

of the area. The private institutions 

like Global Institute of Technology 

and Management (GITM), World 

College of Technology and 

Management (WCTM), KNS World 

Management College etc have set up 

their campuses at Khera Khurrampur 

and attract students from all walks of 

life. 

SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE 

Farukhnagar town has degree 

colleges, high schools, hospitals, 

religious and heritage buildings such 

as Sheesh Mahal, Bawri, Jama Masjid, 

Delhi gate etc. Thus the town can 

boast of its good educational and 

religious infrastructure, but it lacks in 

other social infrastructure such as 

parks and open spaces, community 

building etc. It has good linkages with 

other cities: Gurgaon is 21 km away, 

MAIN FEATURES 

1. Total area of the plan (under urbanisation) 942.5 hectare 

2. Area under existing town 80 hectare 

3. Total population for 2031 A.D. 1,15,000 persons 

4. Population density 250 persons per hectare 

5. One pocket of 18 hectares in sector-1 along 450 persons per hectare 

V-2 road adjoining interchange reserved 

for low & medium income group with 

population density 

Rewari 40 km, Jhajjar 27 km and Delhi 

is 51 km away from Farukhnagar. 

ABOUT THE TOWN 

The Farukhnagar town, octagonal in 

shape, was founded by a Baluch Chief, 

who was a Governor appointed by 

emperor Farukhsiyar, after whom the 

place was presumably named. Faujdar 

Khan assumed the title of Nawab in 

A.D. 1738 and the Nawabs of 

Farukhnagar played an important role 

in the history of the tract till its 

annexation by the British. This estate 

was confiscated in 1858 because the 

Nawab had participated in the 1857 

uprising. 

The old buildings in the town 

include Sheesh Mahal alias Palace of 

Mirrors and its attendant gate-ways 

built by Faujdar Khan in A.D. 1733. 

Sheesh Mahal is one of the local 

historic attractions in Farukhnagar, 

around 21 km from Gurgaon. The 

other prominent buildings include a 

mosque known as Jami Masjid, and a 

large Octagonal baudi (well) with 

stone staircases made during the Jat 

occupancy. There is also a shrine of 

Budho Mata situated at Mubarakpur, a 

village at 5 km away from 

Farukhnagar. It is a well-frequented 

shrine and a fair is held every 

Wednesday. 

Living to become more pleasurable in Rohtak 

B e it educational, infrastructural, 

commercial or industrial 

facilities, Rohtak will be equipped 

with all the amenities by 2031, 

making life of its denizens more 

comfortable and easy. The Draft 

Development Plan 2031 for Rohtak 

has been prepared for a projected 

population of 13 lakh by 2031. An 

area of 13,364.06 acres would be 

developed with residential density of 

250 persons per hectare by 2031. 

Out of the total proposed area of 

13,364.06 acres, about 28.81 per cent of 

total area would be developed as 

residential, 4 per cent as commercial, 

14.84 per cent area as industrial, 16.45 

per cent area for transport and 

communication, 4.85 per cent for 

public utility, 10.96 per cent for public 

and semi-public uses, 19.36 per cent 

as open spaces, 0.56 per cent for 

special zones and 0.11 per cent would 

be developed for dairy use.


According to the Census 2011, the 

population of Rohtak town is 3.73 

lakh and the estimated population of 

villages is 1.04 lakh. The density of 

existing population area (town and 

villages) is 252 persons per hectare. 

The existing old town and villages 

cover total area of about 1,268 

hectare, which is accommodating a 

population of 3.2 lakh persons. 

DESCRIPTION OF LAND USE 

Residential: An area of 3,894.64 

hectare has been proposed for 44 

sectors on neighbourhood pattern 

with a density of 250 persons per 

hectare. HUDA is developing 12 

residential sectors and private 

colonisers are developing sector 26, 

27, 28, 33A, 34, 36, 36A and 37. Labour 

housing is proposed in sector 27 C 

and 27 D with a density of 600 

persons per acre. The Housing Board, 

Haryana is also developing sector 39 

in town. 

Commercial: An area of about 

543.13 hectares has been proposed for 

commercial use. A city centre is 

proposed in sector 30 and 31 A 

abutting NH-10. A building material 

market has been proposed in sector 

21 (special zone) whereas an auto 

market and auto workshops has been 

proposed in sector 18 and 18 A. A 

grain market also exists in sector 18 

A. In sector 38 and 39, a 400 metre 

wide commercial belt has been 

provided for restaurants, hotels, 

transit boarding houses, institutions 

providing residential 

accommodations like dharamshala, 

tourist complexes and cinema and 

other places of public assembly. An 

agro mall is being developed by 

HSAMB in sector 14. 

Industrial: An industrial area of 

about 1,982.9 hectare has provided in 

the plan. HSIIDC is developing an 

industrial area as IMT towards the 

Extent of various land uses: 

eastern side of the town between NH- 

10 and Sonipat road. Many big 

companies like Maruti Udyog, Asian 

Paints, Footwear Design and 

Development Institute etc are coming 

up the industrial area. An industrial 

area has also been developed in 

sector 20 by the Industries 

Department. 

Transport and communication: 

An area of about 2,198.64 hectares 

has been proposed for transport and 

communication zone in the plan. The 

hierarchy of roads proposed in the 

plan varies from 75 m wide road to a 

minimum of 12 m. A bus stand exists 

in sector 6 whereas a Transport 

Nagar has been proposed near the 

Asthal Bohar Railway Station. An 

auto market and auto workshops have 

been proposed in sector 18 and 18 A. 

Public utilities: An area of about 

647.55 hectares has been proposed for 

public utility services. The water 

supply sites have been proposed 

along JNL and Bhalaut Sub Branch 

(BSB) canals as well as Rohtak minor. 

The sites for sub-stations have been 

proposed according to the 

requirement of HVPN and UHBVN 

and in consultation with HUDA and 

HSIIDC. The STP sites have been 

proposed in sectors 25 and 40. A solid 

waste disposal site is functioning in 

sector 21 B. HSIIDC will develop its 

disposal site within the IMT. 

Public and semi-public uses: An 

area of about 1,465.5 hectares has 

been proposed for public and semipublic 

uses. Sites for IMT and Hotel 

Management Institute have been 

provided in the development plan. 

The Maharshi Dayanand University 

(MDU), Post Graduate Institute of 

Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Baba Mast 

Nath Engineering College are the 

major existing institutes. The large 

area for jail complex, police lines and 

IMT has been proposed near the 

Land use Proposed area (hectare) %age 

Residential 3,849.64 28.81 

Commercial 543.13 4.06 

Industrial 1,982.9 14.84 

Transport and communication 2,198.64 16.45 

Public utility 647.55 4.85 

Public and semi uses 1,465.5 10.96 

Open spaces 2,586.94 19.36 

Special zone 74.76 0.56 

Dairy 15 0.11 

Total 13,364.06 100 


southern bye-pass. Institutional hub 

has been proposed in sector 26B, 27B 

and 31. 

Open space: An area of about 

2,586.94 hectares has been proposed 

as open space. A town park has been 

proposed in sector 32 which is 

centrally located near Tilyar Lake. 

An international level sports complex 

has been proposed in sector 6 on an 

area of 99 acres. Regional level open 

spaces have been proposed in sector 

25, 25 C, 38, 39 as well as near 

Kharawar bye-pass. Green belt of 30 

m width has also been proposed in 

the plan. 

Special zone: An area of about 74.76 

hectares has been proposed in the 

plan to develop commercial area, 

including building material market 

in sector 21. 

Population: 

Year Population %age 

growth rate 

1951 71,902 ---- 

1961 88,183 22.5 

1971 1,24,754 41.4 

1981 1,66,768 33.68 

1991 2,15,844 29.43 

2001 3,81,889 77 

2011 4,77,877 25.13 

2021* 7,64,603 60 

2031* 12,99,825 70 

ABOUT ROHTAK 

Rohtak is the district headquarters 

with a population of 3.73 lakh. It lies 

at a distance if 75 km towards northwest 

from national capital Delhi on 

NH-10 and 210 km south from state 

capital Chandigarh. 

The town is an education hub 

having Indian Institute of 

Management (IIM), MDU, PGIMS and 

Baba Mast Nath Engineering College. 

It will soon have a fashion design 

institute, a state institute of film and 

TV, a fine arts college and an urban 

planning and architect college. 

It also has All India Radio Station 

of Haryana, Sports Complex (99 

acre), tourist complexes namely 

Tilyar and Myna, Industrial model 

Township (IMT) having units like 

Maruti Suzuki’s Research and 

Development Plant, Asian Paints 

Limited, Hitech Plastic Limited and 

Footwear Design and Development 

Institute.

46 


Sohna is a small municipal town 

with a population of 67,785 

according to the Census 2011. 

However, the town is expected to show 

remarkable development owing to the 

Draft Development Plan 2031 of Sohna 

which has the following main 

features: 

PROJECTED POPULATION 

It has been projected that Sohna would 

have a population of 6 lakh by 2031. 

Also, 6,110 hectares of land would 

come under urbanisation (excluding 

the 391 hectares that comprise the 

current area of Sohna town and 

adjoining villages). The density of 

population would be 300 per hectare. 

Two pockets of 36 hectares (16 and 20 

hectares, respectively) will be reserved 

for low and medium income groups in 

Sectors 31 and 25 with a population 

density of 450 persons per hectare. 

Of the 6,110 hectares, 1,034 will be 

left as green belts and open spaces, 

and 425 hectares as forest land 

(together 24 per cent of total area). 

Meanwhile, 1,719 hectares will be for 

residential purpose, 255 for 

commercial, 1,236 for industrial, 627 

for transport & communication, 241 

for public utilities, and 573 hectares 

for public & semi-public purposes. The 

266 hectares of the existing town and 

125 hectares of Village Abadi 

(together 391 hectares) are excluded 

from the proposals. 

Land has been reserved for the 

ongoing construction of the Kundli- 

Sohna in for a big leap 

Manesar-Palwal Expressway, which 

will be 100 m wide with a 100 m green 

belt on both sides. The KMP Corridor 

will also include a 50 m wide Orbital 

Rail Corridor. 

The existing Gurgaon-Sohna-Alwar 

Road and Sohna-Palwal Road within 

Old MC Limit will be made a V-1 road. 

Existing V-1(a) and V-1(b) roads 

would be widened to 60 m, with 50-mwide 

green belt on both sides, while V- 

2 roads would be widened to 75 m with 

a 100-m-wide green belt on the outer 

side and a 50-m-wide green belt on the 

inner side. 

Sub arterial V-3 roads would be 

widened to 60 m as well and V-3(a) 

roads would be widened to 45 m. V-4 

roads would be made 30 m wide. 

HIGH INDUCED URBAN GROWTH 

In line with the draft development 

plan, the state government is focusing 

on infrastructure development in the 

town through various projects. These 

include the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal 

Expressway (KMP) which is under 

construction and a Dedicated Freight 

Corridor (DFC) from Delhi to Mumbai 

for which land has already been 

acquired. An Orbital Rail Corridor 

(ORC) connecting all the major NCR 

(National Capital Region) towns has 

also been proposed. 

The government also plans to 

develop an Industrial Model Township 

(IMT) in the area for which 1,500 acres 

of land has been acquired. 

Approximately 1,500 acres land has 

been demanded by the Haryana State 

Industrial Infrastructure Development 

Corporation (HSIIDC) for its future 

expansion. 

Out of the ten theme hubs 

ROAD CIRCULATION 

Classification of roads Land reservation 

V-1 Existing road to be widened up to 75 m with 

30 m wide green belt on both sides. 

V-1(a) Existing road to be widened up to 45 m with 

30 m wide green belt on both sides. 

V-1(b) Existing road to be widened up to 45 m 

V-2 75 m wide road with 30 m wide green belt on 

both sides. 

V-3 60 m wide road with 30 m wide green belt on 

both sides. 

V-4 45 m wide road


envisaged by the government to be 

developed along the KMP Global 

Corridor, three theme hubs - Leisure 

Hub, Leather Hub and Sports Hub - 

are in the proximity of Sohna town. 

All these factors will play a 

significant role in inducing faster 

urban growth, and hence, an 

exorbitant growth rate is expected in 

Sohna. 

ABOUT SOHNA 

In the backdrop of picturesque 

Aravali Ranges on its West, Sohna is 

an important old town. As viewed 

from the top of the hills, where a 

tourist/recreational complex has been 

developed by the Haryana Tourism, 

The Draft Development Plan-2031 AD 

for Pataudi- Haily Mandi towns of 

district Gurgaon has been prepared 

keeping in view the projected 

population of 1.9 lakh of these twin 

towns. 

According to 2011 census, the 

population of both Pataudi and Haily 

Mandi is 39,812. The existing towns 

cover a total built up area of about 245 

hectares. 

The draft plan proposals have been 

made to accommodate an additional 1.5 

lakh persons by 2031 AD. The 

residential sectors have been proposed 

with residential density of 250 persons 

per hectare. Under the plan, a total of 

1,425 hectares will be brought under 

urbanisation. The area of logistic zone 

(934 hectares), industrial area (66 

hectares) along KMP Expressway and 

245 hectares area of the existing towns 

has not been included in the plan. 

LAND USE PROPOSALS 

The Draft Plan has proposed 600 

hectares for residential purposes, 127 

hectares for commercial, 80 hectares for 

industrial, 391 hectares for transport & 

communication, 56 hectares for public 

utility, 38 hectares for public and semipublic 

purposes and 133 hectares for 

open spaces and green belts. 

In order to accommodate the 

projected population of 1.5 lakh 

persons, an area of 600 hectares has 

been proposed for development of 

residential sectors-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. 

Keeping in view the extension of 

Pataudi town, sectors- 3, 4 and 6 have 

Census Year Population Growth Rate 

Percentage 

1941 5,750 -- 

1951 5,138 (-) 10.64 

1961 6,887 (+) 34.04 

1971 8,775 (+) 27.41 

1981 12,688 (+) 44.59 

1991 16,348 (+) 28.85 

2001 38,115 (+) 133.15 

2011* 67,785* (+) 77.85 

2016 1,11,845 (+) 65.00 

2021 1,95,729 (+) 75.00 

2026 3,42,526 (+) 75.00 

2031 5,99,420 (+) 75.00 

* Includes 31,348 (population of urban villages) 

been proposed. About 120-m-wide strip 

has been proposed around the abadies 

of villages Jamalpur and Khawaspur 

for providing amenities to these 

villages which fall in proposed logistic 

zone. 

The minimum width of the roads in 

a residential colony or sector would not 

be less than 12 m. The minimum area 

for parks and open spaces in a 

residential sector will be planned in 

such a manner that it shall meet the 

norm of 2.5 square metres per person. 

AREA FOR COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY 

An area of about 127 hectares has been 

reserved for commercial purposes 

which have been proposed in Sector 9 

and in form of 75-m-wide strip along 

Gurgaon-Rewari road in Sectors 2, 3, 4 

and 5. This will be utilised for 

commercial uses like retail trade, 

storage and wholesale trade etc. Sector 

9 includes existing Haily Mandi which 

is functioning here as the regional level 

commercial activity and gives overall 

boost to the economy of the town. 

About 80 hectares of land has been 

proposed in sector 10 for development of 

industries. The industrial area has been 

provided in the eastern side which is 

kept sufficiently away from the 

residential sectors. Further, the 

industrial zone has been adequately 

segregated from the other uses by 125m-wide 

green belts. In addition, an 

industrial colony at village Bilaspur 

measuring about 45 hectares is being 

developed by private developers and 

approximately 66 hectares has also been 


the town amalgamated with its green 

rural background presents a 

fascinating scenic beauty. The town is 

also famous for the boiling hot 

sulphur spring with a temple complex 

around it. People suffering from skin 

diseases visit this town to have a holy 

and clinical dip in the Kunds with 

spring water to get rid of their 

diseases. 

Being a tehsil of Gurgaon District, 

the provision and maintenance of 

general civic services in the town are 

being done by the Municipal 

Committee. The town provides 

shopping, educational, medical and 

mandi facilities to the surrounding 

rural areas. 

Pataudi-Haily Mandi to have more facilities 

proposed for industrial use along the 

KMP Expressway and adjoining the 

proposed logistic zone. 

A Transport Nagar has been 

provided in Ssector 8 in the vicinity of 

railway station which also abuts the 

southern periphery road. An attempt 

has been made to maintain the 

hierarchy of roads. The periphery 

roads have been proposed to be of 75 m 

width and the sector dividing roads 

with minimum width of 45 m. The 75-m 

road will have 30-m-wide green belt on 

both sides. In sectors 8, 9 and 10, a 30-mwide 

road has been proposed along 

existing railway line for better 

circulation. 

The existing Gurgaon-Pataudi and 

Pataudi-Haily Mandi road is proposed 

to be widened up to 45 m with 30 m wide 

green belt on both sides. In addition, the 

Delhi-Rewari State Highway, emanating 

from KMP Expressway, is proposed to 

be widened to 75 m with 30-m-wide 

green belt on both sides. 

PUBLIC UTILITIES 

An area of about 39 hectares has been 

provided for public utilities like water 

works, grid sub stations, and disposal 

works etc in Sector 7. About five 

hectares area on Khandewla-Jatauli 

road has been proposed for solid waste 

disposal works. An area of about 12 

hectares has been proposed for water 

treatment plant on Gurgaon-Pataudi 

road at village Janaula. The sewage 

treatment plant has been proposed on 

Pataudi-Rewari road along periphery 

road. g

48 

REPORT HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Zero tolerance 

to sex tests & 

female foeticide 

Haryana Government laces whip-cracking 

with some path-breaking initiatives to set 

right the skewed sex ratio in the state 


Whip-cracking on the errant and 

defiant clinics, indulging in the 

illegal and nefarious activity of sex 

determination and female foeticide, 

continues in Haryana. This has been 

followed up with some rare and firstof-its-kind 

initiatives to spread the 

message that the Haryana 

Government, led by Mr Bhupinder 

Singh Hooda, means business, and 

that it is determined to set right the 

skewed sex ratio, and establish a 

healthy male-female proportion in the 

state. 

Disclosing this to Haryana Review, 

the Health Minister, Rao Narender 

Singh, said that a record of sorts was 

set in 2011-12 when pan-Haryana raids 

were conducted, centres conducting 

sex tests sealed, machines seized and 

prosecutions launched all over the 

state. Stringent measures, taken by the 

Health Department to enforce the Pre- 

Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic 

Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act in 2011- 

12, have yielded encouraging results. 

Inspired by the outcome, the state 

government is persisting with them in 

2012-13. 

ZERO TOLERANCE MESSAGE 

The harsh steps have not only 

succeeded in sending out zero 

tolerance message to such centres as 

are indulging in illegal sex 

determination tests and female 

foeticide, but have also helped create a 

scare in the districts of Narnaul, 

Rewari, Sonipat and Rohtak, after 

suspension and cancellation of 

licenses of centres violating the PNDT 

Act, and launch of a number of court 

cases. 

Skewed sex ratio has been a major 

problem afflicting Haryana for several 

years. According to Census 2001, the 

sex ratio at birth was 819 females per 

1,000 males. However, Haryana has not 

only been able to arrest the declining 

trend but ranks among the few states 

which have reversed it: the 0-6 years 

child sex ratio has increased to 830 for 

every 1,000 males. 

THREE-PRONGED STRATEGY 

Besides, there has been a marginal 

improvement in the overall sex ratio. 

According to 2011 census report, it is 

877 females for every for 1,000 males 

which is the best in the last 100 years. 

Committed to safeguarding the 

interests of female child, the Haryana 

Government adopted a three-pronged 

strategy to reverse the trend. The 

three prongs are: Enforcement of PC & 

PNDT Act; educating people and all 

stakeholders with the help of various 

government and social organisations; 

and implementation of schemes for 

women’s education and empowerment 

by various departments like Women & 

Child Development, Education, 

Transport and Revenue. 

STATISTICS SPEAK 

The Health Minister disclosed that in 

the 14,186 raids/inspections conducted 

in 2011-12 all over the state, as many as 

185 machines were seized and sealed; 

336 licences were suspended or 

cancelled; 108 cases were filed in lower 

courts and the high court; 30 persons 

were convicted and licences of four 

medical practitioners cancelled. 

Besides, 1,283 ultrasound clinics were 

registered with the Health 

Department. 

Between April, 2011 and March 

2012, as many as 36 ultrasound 

machines were seized and sealed 

(Faridabad-2, Jhajjar 2, Rewari 2, 

Yamunanagar 5, Gurgaon 1, Karnal-1, 

Narnaul -4, Rohtak-7, Ambala-8, Jind- 

3, Kaithal-1) and 54 show-cause notices 

were issued (Ambala 4, Bhiwani-3, 

Rewari 4, Jhajjar 3, Karnal-2, Narnaul- 

2 , Rohtak-1, Sonipat-15, Gurgaon-1, 

Faridabad-3, Jind -1, Kaithal-1, 

Panipat-5, Panchkula-6, Sirsa-1, 

Yammunagar-2). 

Besides, licenses of 49 machines 

were suspended (Faridabad 4, 

Gurgaon 6, Jhajjar 2, Kurukshetra 2, 

Rohtak 8, Ambala 1, Bhiwani 5, 

Fatehabad 1, Karnal 4, Narnaul 6, 

Panchkula 1, Rewari 6, Sonipat 3); and 

13 court cases have been launched 

(Rewari 2, Karnal 2, Ambala 7, 

Fatehabad-1, Narnaul-1). Ambala 

district has shown remarkable 

improvement by launching seven 

court cases between April 2011 and 

March 2012 as compared to four cases 

in the corresponding period of the 

preceding year. 

Not that the whip-cracking has 

stopped in 2012-13. It continues. 

Mastan Hospital in Yamunanagar was 

raided on May 14, 2012 and one doctor 

was caught red-handed aborting a 

female foetus. Police case has been 

registered and the centre has been


sealed. A case was registered against 

Upkar Charitable Hospital in Karnal 

on May 31, 2012 against Dr Rekha and 

others, for doing illegal abortion of a 

female foetus under PC & PNDT Act 

and Medical Termination of 

Pregnancy (MTP) Act. 

An unregistered ultrasound 

machine was seized doing sex 

determination at the residence of Dr. 

Sailaesh Sharma. An FIR has been 

lodged against Dr. Sailesh Sharma and 

two BAMS doctors of Ambala District 

have been arrested. The ultrasound 

machine has been sealed. 

Singla Hospital in Radaur, run by a 

BAMS doctor, was caught operating 

ultrasound machine in the absence of 

operator Dr DC Mittal. The machine 

has been sealed and court case 

launched against Dr Singla and 

license of Dr Mittal (operator) 

suspended till the pendency of the 

court case. The Shivani Hospital in 

Jagadhari was raided and lady doctor 

was arrested for varying out illegal 

MTPs. 

“These harsh and telling measures 

to enforce the PNDT Act have been 

supplemented with some new pathbreaking 

initiatives”, Rao Narender 

Singh said. With a view to curbing sex 

selective abortion and female foeticide, 

the Health Department has started 

registration and tracking of all such 

women as are 12-20 weeks pregnant, 

for, this is the time when people 

generally go in for sex determination 

test. 

A task force, headed by deputy 

commissioner, has been set up in each 

district. It meets every month to 

Steps taken to enforce 

PC & PNDT Act up to March, 2012 

Ultrasound clinics registered 1283 

State ultrasound clinics 52 

Other registered centres 67 

Inspections/raids 14186 

Machines seized and sealed 185 

Distt. Advisory Committee 

meetings 1081 

Suspension/cancellation of 

licenses 336 

Cases in lower courts 70 

Cases in high court 38 

Persons convicted 30 

Licenses of 

registered medical 

practitioner cancelled 04 

review the sex ratio and enforcement 

of the Act. The State Task Force has 

been reconstituted and beefed up to 

conduct surprise raids and inspections 

on complaints to curb female foeticide. 

Significantly, ultrasound machines, 

used for veterinary purposes, are 

being registered by the Health 

Department to prevent their misuse. 

Besides, incentive money of up to 

Rs 20,000 has been announced by the 

Health Department for informers in 

each district to avert illegal activities. 

Residence ID proof has been made 

mandatory for pregnant women opting 

for ultrasound test as a part of 

enforcement of the Act. 

CASH PRIZE FOR VILLAGES 

Making the villages join in this 

campaign, a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh 

had been kept for one village in each 

district showing the highest sex ratio; 

and Rs 5 lakh for the village showing 

the highest sex ratio in the state, Rao 

added. 

A fortnight (March 1 to 15) every 

year is dedicated to the prevention of 

female foeticide to create awareness in 

villages. Directions have been issued 

by the Health Department to paint the 

number of births of male/female 

during the year on the “Health Wall” 

at the prominent places in each 

village. 

Besides, seminars, workshops, 

street plays, painting competitions and 

painting exhibitions are conducted in 

the districts to focus on the issue of 

female foeticide. Radio jingles, press 

advertisements and T.V. Programmes 

are also telecast on the issues of 

skewed sex ratio from time to time. g 

NEW INITIATIVES 

REPORT 49 

n Task Force notified in each district 

on April 25 ’2011. Formed under the 

chairmanship of DC and cochairperson 

Chairman Zila 

Parishad, the task force will 

comprise SP, ADC, WCD officer, 

SDM’s, Principals of Colleges, 

Woman representative of Zila 

Parishad, Two Civil Society 

representatives. Civil surgeon is 

member secretary. It will meet 

every month to review the sex ratio 

and implementation of the Act. 

n The State Task Force has been 

reconstituted to conduct surprise 

raids and inspections on the 

complaints to curb female 

foeticide. 

n Ultrasound machines used for 

veterinary purposes are being 

registered by the Health 

Department. 

n Ambala district has shown 

remarkable improvement by 

launching seven court cases from 

April 2011 to March 2012 as 

compared to four cases in the past. 

n NIMC team visited Kurukshetra 

District on November 3 and 

Faridabad on November 4, 2011. 

n Faridabad has constituted eight 

inspection teams to identify 

portable ultrasound machines, and 

regulate their use in the facility 

registered under the Act. 

Directions have been issued to all 

to check the status of reporting of 

maternal scans (F Forms) on a 

regular basis through verification 

of the patient load in clinics, 

n Incentive for informer up to Rs 

20,000 has been announced in each 

district by the Health Department 

to curb illegal activities. 

n Residence ID proof has been made 

mandatory for ultrasound of 

pregnant women to verify their 

addresses to strictly implement the 

PC & PNDT Act. 

n A prize of Rs 1 lakh is given to one 

village in each district showing the 

highest sex ratio, and Rs 5 lakh to 

the village showing the highest sex 

ratio in the state. 

n With a view to curbing the sex 

selective abortion and female 

foeticide, the Health Department 

has started registration and 

tracking of all pregnancies 

between 12-20 weeks, for, this is the 

time people generally go in for sex 

determination and female foeticide.

50 

TOURISM HARYANA REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2012 

Dr Surjit Kumar and Dr S S Chandna 

If one wants to get the closest to 

paradise in Haryana, then Morni is 

the place to be with its rich forest 

reserves and a wide variety of birds. 

The Morni hills offer rich feast for 

birders. An avian diversity survey 

has confirmed the presence of 130 

species of birds, of the more than 450 

species present in Haryana, in the 

Morni hills. 

Due to presence of rich green 

cover in the form of forests and 

bushes, birds like the Spotted Owlet, 

Black Partridge, Grey Francolin, 

Black Francolin and Grey Hornbill 

are found in the Morni Hills. The 

Great Barbet is unique to the hills. 

Peafowls are also found in 

Purple sunbird Bee eater 

Morni: Birds and 

beauty aplenty 

Of the more than 450 species of birds present in Haryana, 130 species 

are found in Morni Hills alone, according to an avian diversity survey 

conducted in Morni 

abundance. The survey has also 

revealed that two species of vulture 

which are rarely seen in the rest of 

the state have been found in Morni. 

The Haryana Government has 

opened a breeding centre for the Red 

Jungle Fowl and Pheasants in Morni 

hills in order to save the declining 

species. The Red Jungle Fowl is 

found in India and is spread 

approximately along the Sal forests 

in the country. It was also found in 

Malaysia, Indonesia and adjoining 

countries of the eastern region from 

where it is reported to be extinct. 

Morni Hills are actually the 

extension of Shivalik ranges of 

Himalayas which run in two parallel 

ranges and are separated by River 

Ghaggar. Located at a distance of 35 

km east of Panchkula and connected 

with a metalled road, the hills are 

spread over an area of approximately 

9,227.62 hectares, of which, 2,564.73 

hectares are under agriculture and 

6,662.89 hectares are protected 

forests. 

The highest point of Morni hill is 

“Tipra” zone and its height is 

approximately 3,600 feet above sea 

level and lowest peak is village 

“Nada” at a height of 500 feet in zone 

Mataur. About 80 per cent of rainfall 

occurs here during the monsoon 

season. 

Morni village is located at a height 

of 1,200 m. It is actually the pivotal 

point of all human activities in the 

entire complex of Morni Hills. There 

is an old fort on the top of the hill,


very close to the Morni village, 

which has now been developed by the 

Haryana Government as a tourist 

resort. 

One very prominent feature of the 

Morni Hills is the “Ghaggar River”. 

It originates from Shivalik hills in 

Himachal Pradesh. This river is the 

glory of the Morni hills and is one of 

the most famous low profile 

intermittent rivers in Haryana. 

Quite interestingly, Ghaggar River 

from Morni hills descends down to 

plains in Panchkula and passes to 

Pakistan in the West through 

Chandigarh. It is fascinating to bring 

TOURISM 51 

Baya weaver Great barbet 

Due to presence of rich 

green cover in the form of 

forests and bushes, birds 

like the Spotted Owlet, 

Black Partridge, Grey 

Francolin, Black Francolin 

and Grey Hornbill are 

found in the Morni Hills. 

The Great Barbet is 

unique to the hills. 

Peafowls are also found 

in abundance 

on record over here that Ghaggar 

River has been linked to the 

Saraswati River by Rig Vedic 

literature. 

There are three natural lakes in 

the Morni hills namely, Bada Tikkar 

Taal, Chhota Tikkar Taal and Sherla 

Taal. As these names indicate, larger 

one (Bada Tikkar Taal) is about 150 

m long and 460 m broad and smaller 

one (Chhota Tikkar Taal) is 365 m 

both ways. The two lakes are divided 

by a dwarf hill, but there is some 

hidden channel between the lakes 

due to which the water level of the 

two remains same throughout the 

year. 

The Morni Hills constitute a part 

of the Panchkula District. The hills 

have been, perhaps named after a 

Queen, who once ruled this territory. 

They are very rich in vegetation with 

scattered pockets of pine trees and 

contiguous patches of exotic trees 

planted by the Forest Department. 

Terrace fields, group of villages, 

plain fields, etc are predominant 

features of these hills. 

This unique hill system of 

Haryana having natural green slopes 

and tourist places developed by the 

Haryana Government attracts the 

people for its pleasant atmosphere 

and natural beauty. g 

The writers are from Haryana 

Forensic Science Laboratory, 

Madhuban Karnal

52 NEWS IN CAPSULE 


THE MONTH THAT WAS 

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Union Rural 

Development Minister Jairam Ramesh reviewing drought 

situation in Haryana with Chief Minister Bhupinder 

Singh Hooda. Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh, Public 

Health Engineering Minister Kiran Chaudhary and 

Finance Minister HS Chattha are also seen in the picture 

Haryana builds case for 

Rs 4,050-cr drought relief 

Haryana has sought financial 

assistance of Rs 4,050 crore from the 

Central Government to compensate 

the farmers in view of the droughtlike 

conditions forced on the state by 

the monsoon which has been 70 per 

cent deficient so far. 

The demand was made by the Chief 

Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, 

at a meeting with the Union 

Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad 

Pawar, and the Union Rural 

Development Minister, Mr Jairam 

Ramesh, to review the drought 

situation in Haryana. Mr Hooda said 

that both had assured him that the 

demand would be given a careful 

consideration. 

At the meeting, Mr Jairam Ramesh 

announced the decision to give 

Haryana Rs 230 crore for drinking 

water purposes and watershed 

management, besides an additional 

budget of 30 per cent under MNREGA. 

Mr Hooda told the Central 

ministers that deficiency of rainfall in 

Haryana was the severest in the 

country and the situation was worst 

during the last ten years. 

New agriculture policy 

in the offing 

The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has said that 

keeping in view the interests of the 

farmers, the state government is 

working on a new agriculture policy 

which would be announced soon. 

He was speaking after meeting the 

Union Agriculture Minister, Mr 

Sharad Pawar, and the Union Rural 

Development Minister, Mr Jai Ram 

Ramesh, who visited Chandigarh to 

review the drought-like situation in 

the state. 

“The draft of the new Agriculture 

Policy has already been discussed and 

it would be finalised soon”, Mr Hooda 

said. 

State gets best 

performance award 

Haryana has been awarded the best 

performance award on Solar Water 

Heating System for the year 2011-12 in 

Northern Region. The award was 

given away in a National Workshop on 

Solar Water Heaters at Vigyan 

Bhawan, New Delhi by Dr Farooq 

Abdullah, Union Minister for New and 

Renewable Energy. 

Mr Arun Kumar, Director General, 

Renewable Energy Department, 

Haryana and HAREDA said that the 

Haryana Government is promoting 

solar water heating systems by 

awareness generation, regulatory 

measures and promotional incentives. 

He said the Haryana Government has 

made the use of solar water heating 

systems mandatory in industries 

where hot water is required for 

processing, hospitals and nursing 

home, hotels, motels and banquet 

halls, jail barracks, canteens, housing 

complex set up by housing society and 

all residential building built on a plot 

of size 500 sq yds and above falling 

within the limits of municipal 

committees and corporations. 

Haryana is the only state in the 

country where solar water heating 

systems are installed in social sector 

institutions with 70 per cent financial 

assistance. 

No poultry farm in 50-mt 

radius of residential zone 

No poultry farm in Haryana should be 

located within 50-metre radius of a 

residential zone and 200-metre from a 

major water course, said a 

spokesperson of the Haryana State 

Pollution Control Board. All poultry 

farms have been directed to raise a 

green belt around, minimise waste and 

refrain from open burning or 

indiscriminate dumping of any dead 

bird, feathers and unused material. 

These and other directions have been 

issued by the Haryana State Pollution 

Control Board under the Environment 

Protection Act 1986, based on the 

guidelines of the Central Pollution 

Control Board. 

The spokesman said that under the 

directions, no poultry farm should be 

located within 50-metre of a residential 

zone, 200-metre from major water 

course, 1,000-metre from any major 

drinking water reservoir on catchment 

side, 100-metre from any drinking 

water source like wells and summer 

storage tanks, and 500-metre from 

nearby poultry, dairy or another 

livestock enterprises or industry. 

Poultry farm sheds should not be 

located within 20-metre of farm 

boundary, 200-metre from public roads, 

and 20-metre from other sheds on the 

same farm and 100-metre from any 

other dwelling on same property. 

State information centre to 

come up in Kolkata 

The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder 

Singh Hooda, has said that a Haryana 

Information Centre would be set up in 

Kolkata and he would soon write to the


West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms 

Mamata Banerjee, to request her to 

allocate land for the same in Kolkata. 

Mr Hooda was responding to the 

demand made during the 56th 

Foundation Day celebrations of 

Haryana Nagrik Sangh at Kala Mandir, 

Prekshagraha in Kolkata. Large 

number of people, hailing from 

Haryana state, participated in the 

function, which was laced in the total 

Haryanvi culture. There was huge 

enthusiasm among the people to meet 

Mr Hooda. Many local industrialists 

and businessmen were also honoured 

on this occasion. 

While lauding the social 

contribution made by those hailing 

from Haryana, Mr Hooda said that it 

was a matter of pride for the state that 

its people have made a special place 

with their hard work, efforts and 

competency. The people from Haryana 

are successful in various fields like 

industries, trade and business and are 

also contributing in social fields. He 

also congratulated the people for 

maintaining their touch with their 

roots in Haryana and conserving their 

culture. 

MoU signed for setting 

up biomass projects 

The Haryana government has signed a 

memorandum of understanding with 

four independent power producers for 

setting up five biomass power projects 

of 51 MW capacity at an investment of 

Rs 230 crore. Of these, two are likely to 

be commissioned soon. 

The state government had also 

increased the renewable energy 

department’s annual budget from Rs 

3.9 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 42.43 crore in 

2013 as a part of its programme to 

promote renewable energy in Haryana. 

To produce electricity from the 

distillery waste, a project of one MW 

capacity at Ashoka Distillery & 

Chemicals, Hathin, Palwal district, and 

a 3 MW project at Globus Spirit, 

Samalkha, Panipat district, have been 

set up. For generation of power from 

agricultural waste, 11 projects of 2,495 

MW capacity through the cogeneration 

route have been set up, an official said. 

Eight projects of 7.8 MW capacity 

have already been commissioned in the 

state under the National Solar Mission, 

which include seven projects of one 

MW each. Solar power projects of 

541.45 kW capacity had been set up in 

30 private sector and government 

offices. 

NEWS IN CAPSULE 

Chief Minister Bhupinder SIngh Hooda presenting a momento to Suzuki Motor 

Corporation Chairman Mr Osamu Suzuki 

Maruti to invest Rs 1,700 

crore in Manesar plant 

Maruti Suzuki India Limited will 

invest Rs 1,700 crore for setting up Cplant 

in its Manesar unit. For now, 

plant-A and plant-B are back in 

production and on August 22 as many 

as 186 cars were rolled out. Maruti is 

expected to restore its original 

production capacity within next 

fortnight or month, 

The Haryana Industry Minister, Mr 

Randeep Singh Surjewala, said this in 

reply to a Calling Attention Motion by 

BJP MLA Anil Vij during the 

monsoon session of Haryana Vidhan 

Sabha. 

He said normalcy that has been 

restored clearly shows the confidence 

reposed in the sincerity and efficient 

action of the government by all 

stakeholders. 

He said that Maruti Suzuki itself 

has expanded its investment base, first 

setting up the Manesar plant in 2007 

and recently establishing its 

motorcycle production, International 

Testing Track and Research and 

Development facility, in IMT Rohtak 

with an investment of Rs 3,500 crore. 

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder 

Singh Hooda, who has personally met 

the top management of the company 

twice, said, “We would not allow 

anyone to vitiate industrial peace in 

the state and the well being and 

security of the industrial community 

in Haryana is our responsibility, 

which we shall dutifully discharge.” 

Japan’s Suzuki Motor Chairman, 

Mr Osamu Suzuki called on the 

Haryana Chief Minister, Mr 

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and thanked 

him and his government for support 

and co-operation in dealing with the 

violence at the Manesar plant of 

Maruti Suzuki. Mr Suzuki, who is on a 

week-long visit to India, emphasised 

during the meeting that the Special 

Investigation Team carrying out probe 

into the incident must get to its roots. 

Maruti Suzuki India Chairman Mr 

R.C. Bhargava said that the meeting 

was a courtesy call by Mr Suzuki. 

Maruti Suzuki Managing Director and 

Chief Executive Officer Shinzo 

Nakanishi were also present in the 

meeting. 

Replying to a query on Maruti’s 

proposed plant in Gujarat, Mr 

Bhargava said that it was part of 

company’s expansion plans and Mr 

Hooda was well aware of it. “We are 

definitely continuing at Manesar,” 

said Mr Bhargava, adding that 

production had already started at the 

plant. 

“Haryana is the first home for 

Maruti Suzuki. Our commitment to 

stay in Haryana remains as strong as 

ever and that is why we are 

establishing an International Research 

and Development Centre and a twowheeler 

plant at Industrial Model 

Township in Rohtak, besides Gurgaon 

and Manesar. The work at Rohtak has 

already begun,” said Mr Bhargava. g 

53

54 ART AND CULTURE 


Beauty is glass deep 

Glass paintings with their luminous colours and crystalline 

brilliance give an exotic look and new dimension to the world of art 

Anjana Datta 

In this modern era of gracious living 

and contemporary lifestyles, 

anything outlandish and unusual 

attracts the attention of viewers. 

Acquiring ostentatious and fancy 

objets d’ art like paintings, antiques 

and wares spell out status if chosen 

with a touch of class and taste. 

Fanciful shimmering glass vases, 

bowls, jars and wall paintings with 

ornate and floral designs give an exotic 

look and new dimension to the world of 

art. They stand out for sheer class, 

excellent quality and fine taste for 

those who value aesthetics in life. In 

keeping with the spirit of the times, 

some artists of Haryana indulge in 

glass paintings to give a new feel to the 

concept of glass. 

“Glass is beautiful,” says Pinkee 

Katyal, a glass artist from Gurgaon. 

“Therefore, art too should be beautiful. 

The wonder of glass painting, with its 

luminous colours and crystalline 

brilliance casts a shimmering effect on 

the interior of the house,” she 

remarks. 

Paintings by Sonia Madhok 

According to Pinkee, “Glass is just 

like any other material which is used 

for adornment purpose. If one tries 

one’s hand at designing the glass, the 

results are bound to be just fantastic,” 

she avers. 

Pinkee, a veteran artist, has 

explored every medium of painting- be 

it abstract, oil, water colours, murals, 

miniature or madhubani. But glass is 

her forte. She fell for glass painting 

through her love for art and craft. 

“Glass decorating is a fascinating art 

which requires a culmination of 

ingenuity and excellent 

craftsmanship,” she exclaims. 

EXQUISITE GLASS PAINTINGS 

There are exquisite glass paintings of 

various gods and goddesses, abstract, 

nature, landscapes depicting various 

scenes. One is really struck by her 

sense of care lavished on each piece. 

Each painting is uniquely original and 

bears an ineffable air of exclusiveness 

about it. Sincerity of design and honest 

workmanship are the hallmarks of 

Pinkee’s work. Through superb 

ingenuity and craftsmanship, she gives 

a classical touch to ordinary pieces of 

glass and transforms them into 

beautiful objects. 

Glass is essentially a crystallised 

product. It is a very fragile and delicate 

material. In its original form, before 

cutting, polishing or painting, glass 

looks like a transparent material. The 

artist gives the rough material facets 

which then reflect light, making it 

sparkle. The themes and designs of her 

paintings are the expressions of her 

imagination and artistic sense. The 

decoration and colour scheme are 

restrained, bright and elegant 

depending upon the theme of the 

painting. These show a sound 

knowledge of the medium by the artist. 

EXPENSIVE ART 

“Glass is truly a versatile medium,” 

says Sonia Madok, another glass 

painter based at Gurgaon. “Glasswares, 

vases, urns, candle stands and lamps 

can make beautiful decorative objets d’ 

art if charming and eye-catching 

designs are painted on them. But glass 

decorating is an expensive art. A 

stained glass painting costs anything 

from Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 square feet 

depending upon the size of the 

painting,” she avers. 

“The art of painting glass is both 

painstaking and time-consuming,” says 

Painting by Renu Aggarwal


Pinkee Katyal. “Sometimes it takes one 

month to complete one painting 

whereas any other painting requires 

only ten or fifteen days to finish, again 

depending upon the theme and size of 

the painting,” she explains. 

Glass fired the imagination of 

Sonia while she was at school while a 

student of art and craft. She revived 

her interest in this art after her 

marriage and now is a proud owner of 

an art gallery at Gurgaon. One is 

especially struck by the exquisite 

designs and ornamental beauty of her 

works. 

“Glass painting is becoming a hot 

favourite with people today. Beautifully 

painted and embellished glasswares 

show that glass can be beautiful,” says 

Renu Aggarwal, another artist from 

Gurgaon. Exquisiteness finds its true 

meaning in her glass works that 

include paintings, wares and decorative 

articles. Delicate work deftly done by 

her in details, speaks volume of 

elegance. They are perfectly poised to 

create awe in everybody’s imagination 

for the obvious appeal of their beauty. 

Paintings by Pinkee Katyal 

There are three basic kinds of glass 

paintings. First of all, it’s purely 

decorative technique which is usually 

found on decorative panels, glass 

windows or doors. The second is 

calligraphic. That’s much more 

sophisticated in its execution and more 

sober in colour. It’s usually done in 

dark-red, black silver or gold colour. 

This kind of painting is mostly found 

in mosque, ceilings, panels and 

columns etc. The third is figurative 

naive that relates to folk art traditions 

depicting popular folklores, imagery 

and heroes of the native place. 

DESIRE TO DECORATE GLASS 

The desire to decorate glass urged men 

since ancient times to experiment with 

different mediums on it. The ordinary 

painting didn’t produce any lasting 

result as the decoration gradually 

broke away from the glass each time it 

was washed or wiped and the paint 

came off. So the search for decorating 

with some other technique was started. 

Glass, beautifully engraved with 

mythological subjects and bearing 

ART AND CULTURE 

inscription and names found favour in 

ancient Egypt and Rome. Later this art 

spread in Europe. In India, this art 

came with the advent of the East India 

Company and soon became very 

popular with the royals and people of 

upper echelons of society. 

Even today the concept of Art 

Nouveau or the art of renewal, as it is 

generally called, seems to have 

everything going for it. Step into any 

showroom and you will be 

overwhelmed by the incredible variety 

of beautifully embellished and painted 

glassware and paintings. Quite often, 

we are dazzled by the sheer beauty of 

the glass products and fall prey to the 

enchanting play of colours, lustre and 

prismatic reflections of light of these 

wares 

While the concept of the traditional 

has caught on with many, there are 

some who believe in evolving 

something new that achieves a sort of 

harmony between the traditional and 

the modern. And, that’s innovative 

work of art in glass. g 

The writer is a freelance journalist 

55

56 LAST PAGE 


Judge yourself 

QUIZ- 1 

Beginning September 

Issue of Haryana 

Review, we are 

introducing a quiz 

competition which will 

appear on this page. 

Answers to the quiz are 

given below in the 

reverse... 

Q1: In which year, Haryana 

first participated in the 

Olympic Games? 

Q2: Where were these 

Olympic Games held? 

Q3: Did the contingent from 

Haryana win any medal in its 

first appearance in the 

Olympics? 

Q4: How many players from 

Haryana participated in the 

Beijing Olympics? 

Q5: So far India has won 24 

medals in the Olympics. What 

is Haryana’s score? 

players 5. Six medals 

1. 1980 2. Moscow 3. No 4. nine 

Answers: 

A tale of two wolves 

Managing your thoughts, feelings and actions 

As we grow up, we gradually 

become aware of the many 

things in the external world which 

are largely beyond our ability to 

control. These include other people 

in general and most events in our 

lives. Initially this is difficult to 

accept, but a more shocking 

realisation is that there are many 

things about ourselves that we seem 

powerless to control. 

Some of these are our own 

thoughts, feelings, and actions which 

unfortunately can be the source of 

much distress. It may be thoughts 

such as “I cannot stop hating my boss 

for passing me over for a promotion.” 

It may involve an emotion e.g. “My 

girl friend left me and I cannot stop 

feeling sad, lonely and unloved.” It 

can also be in the form of behaviour 

such as the inability to control one's 

craving for food such as sweet deserts 

or constant snacking. 

But are we indeed really powerless 

to control our own maladaptive 

thoughts, feelings and actions? The 

following is an old Cherokee Indian 

story that is enlightening and helpful 

in taming our thoughts, actions and 

feelings: 

One evening an old Cherokee told 

his grandson about a battle that goes 

on inside people. 

He said, "My son, the battle is 

between two wolves inside us all." 

"It is a terrible fight and it is 

between two wolves. One is evil - he 

is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, 

arrogance, self-pity, guilt, 

resentment, inferiority, lies, false 

pride, superiority, and ego." He 

continued, "The other is good - he is 

joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, 

humility, kindness, benevolence, 

empathy, generosity, truth, 

compassion, and faith. The same 

fight is going on inside you - and 

inside every other person, too." 

The grandson thought about it for 

a minute and then asked his 

grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" 

The old Cherokee simply replied, 

"The one you feed". 

The grandfather’s answer "The 

one you feed" is deceivingly simple. 

The results of psychological research 

indicate that there are at least four 

important concepts or ideas implied 

by the answer: 

1. The mind is not the unitary entity 

it seems to us but consists of 

different parts. For example in the 

story there are the two wolves and 

the “you” that chooses between 

them. 

2. These parts of the mind/brain can 

interact and be in conflict with 

each other i.e. the two wolves fight 

for dominance over our mind and 

behavior. 

3. The “you” has the ability to decide 

which wolf it will feed. 

4. Having made a choice, “you” can 

decide specifically how to “feed” 

or nurture the selected wolf. 

These four ideas give rise to a 

number of questions, some of which 

I have listed below. You might want to 

write down your answers in your 

own private journal or computer file 

protected by a password. The 

important thing is to take a quiet 

time to reflect on the questions and 

answer them as best you can. I hope 

that by taking time to do this, you 

will learn to better manage your 

mind, feelings, and actions and 

consciously feeding the good wolf in 

your. g

Mr Bhupinder Singh 

Hooda 

Chief Minister of Haryana 

Mr Paramvir Singh 

Agriculture Minister, 

Haryana 

Mr Sukhbir Kataria 

Minister of State 

for Agriculture, Haryana 

Mr Dharambir Singh 

Chief Parliamentary 

Secretary, Haryana 

New Initiatives in Agricultural Marketing 

n Kisan Call Centre and Spot Exchange 

launched for better remunerative prices 

for agricultural produce 

n Proposed international Agricultural 

Marketing Hub at Ganaur which is first 

of its kind in the country 

n Haryana Institute of Agricultural 

Marketing set up for imparting training 

Roshan, IAS 

Principal Secretary, Agricultural Deaprtment 

Government of Haryana and Chairman, HSAMB 

in Agricultural Marketing to farmers 

n Launch of “MARKET ON WHEELS” on 

pilot basis in Panchkula 

n Construction of Agro Malls at 

Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat and Rohtak 

n First Fruit, Vegetable & Flower festival 

organised in Kisan Bhawan, Panchkula 

in March 2012 

T.V.S.N Prasad, IAS 

Chief Administrator, HSAMB 

HARYANA STATE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING BOARD 

Mandi Bhawan, Sector 6, Panchkula (Haryana), Phone 0172-2560193, 2560450, 

website: www.hsamb.gov.in 

Smridh kisan hamari pehchan

A man made marvel 

Kalka-Pinjore bypass 

Photograph by Randeep Singh 

RNI No: 10412/67 

Postal Regd No: 

CHD/0123/2012-14 

Price: Rs 15 

Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India

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