For any sportsperson who has earned fame and adulation, it is always difficult to digest neglect and oblivion and out-of-favour India hockey forward Bharat Chikara is no different.
Chikara, who not long ago was vital a cog in the Indian hockey team's forwardline and was a member of India's silver medal winning squad in 2010 Commonwealth Games, has been living a lonely life since losing his place in the national team after London Olympics qualifier.
Like many other seniors, Chiakara's decision to play in the unauthorised World Series Hockey proved costly as he was labelled a rebel by the national federation and subsequently dropped from the London-bound squad.
But Chikara, who was also part of India's bronze medal winning squad in Guangzhou Asian Games, is no mood to give up without a fight. At 29, he knows very well that age is not on his side but what keeps him going is his love for the game and faith in his stick work.
Eying one last shot at a national comeback, Chikara is not even thinking about his monetary condition. He is spending money from his own pocket to travel to Ipoh, Malaysia to watch India's matches in the Asia Cup and get an idea about the team's changing trends in their style of play.
"I came here a day before the tournament began and leaving after the final. It's my love for the game and determination to make a return to the national team that brought me here. No one sponsored my trip, I had to shell out money from my savings for this trip," Chikara said when PTI chanced upon him outside the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here.
