A song to celebrate India's Hockey Centennial and World Cup return

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 25 IANS) As the Indian hockey prepares to mark a landmark year in 2025, the sport is set to be celebrated both on and off the field.

The nation will commemorate 100 years of Indian hockey on November 7, 2025 as Tamil Nadu gears up to host the Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10, 2025.

To mark the centenary, Prof. Vasisht, a noted historian and passionate hockey enthusiast from Kerala, has written a tribute song titled “India’s World Cup".

Former head of the History Department at Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode, Prof. Vasisht penned the Tamil lyrics as a salute to the host state.

The song has been performed by Silu Fathina, one of his former students, who also adapted its melody.

The upbeat number celebrates India’s unity and sporting pride, echoing with the lines: “This is India’s World Cup, This is Tamil Nadu’s World Cup, This is Hockey’s World Cup, This is Chennai’s and Madurai’s World Cup — The World Cup of Victory.”

Prof. Vasisht earlier composed “Magicians of Kuala Lumpur” to honour the Indian team that clinched the 1975 Hockey World Cup, highlighting the sport’s role in fostering cultural harmony across the nation.

India won the Hockey World Cup in 1975. This match was played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this match, India defeated Pakistan 2-1.

The 14th edition of the Men’s Junior World Cup will see a record 24 teams vying for honors — the largest participation in the tournament’s history. India, which previously hosted the event in New Delhi (2013), Lucknow (2016), and Bhubaneswar (2021), remains one of the favourites to lift the trophy, having won once in 2016 and finished third on three occasions.

For Indian hockey, 2025 will not just be a year of remembrance but a reaffirmation of the nation’s enduring passion and growing global stature in the game.

--IANS

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