Jalandhar: Continuing the family legacy, the 19th Balwant Singh Hockey Tournament will be held from December 7th.

Jalandhar: The 19th edition of the All India S Balwant Singh Kapoor Memorial Hockey Tournament for the Mata Prakash Kaur Cup is all set to begin on December 7. The tournament will conclude on December 14. This tournament is organized for Under-19 boys. A family has been organizing this tournament in memory of their parents for the past 19 years. Brothers Gursaran Singh, 89, Harbhajan Singh, 86, Manjit Singh, 83, Teerth Singh, 75, and Hardeep Singh, 66, may have aged since they started this tournament in 2004, but age has not diminished their enthusiasm nor their resolve to keep their father’s name alive through this tournament. The winning team receives Rs 1.25 lakh, followed by the runner-up with Rs 1 lakh, and the teams finishing third and fourth receive Rs 80,000 and Rs 60,000 respectively. Six best players also receive Rs 10,000 each. Harbhajan told The Tribune, “After our father’s death in 1995, we wanted to start something in his memory. After years of discussions and brainstorming, we finally decided that we would start this tournament.”
“He never played hockey at any level, but he loved the game. We thought that this is how we would keep his memory alive,” he further added. Balwant Singh Kapoor came to Jalandhar from Gujranwala during the Partition in 1947, where he learned to play hockey at Khalsa School and fell in love with the game. He retired from the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation as a Superintendent. Harbhajan also told The Tribune, “This tournament is like an annual family festival that no one misses.” “My brother, Manmohan Singh, was an integral part of this until his death two years ago.” “We might skip meeting each other on Diwali or Gurupurab, but we definitely come together for this tournament at this time of year.” Manjit Singh Kapoor also said, “We don’t know what the future holds. Now, we have handed over this responsibility to our children. They will surely keep this legacy alive.” Interestingly, the family doesn’t invite any politicians to this event because they don’t want any “politics” surrounding the tournament, which is personal and emotional for them.