LUCKNOW, May 16 -- Top finish in the sub-junior nationals last year, thereafter third-place at the senior nationals and then a bronze medal at this year's National Games in Uttarakhand and now a silver medal at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) in Bihar underline the progress of hockey in Uttar Pradesh. This couldn't have been possible so easily as a structured set up for the discipline in the last 17 years since the emergence of Hockey India as well as Uttar Pradesh Hockey in 2008 came to the fore and being a land of great hockey stars like Major Dhyan Chand and Kunwar Digvijay Singh "Babu", the sport became most popular in the state. "There is a special kind of love for a game like hockey amongst people in Uttar Pradesh and that's a big reason why our teams have been a force to reckon with in the domestic circuit," said UP Hockey's secretary RP Singh as Uttar Pradesh went down fighting to Haryana by a solitary goal in the final of the KIYG at Rajgir early this week. "Our system of selection as well as training is very clear, and we don't allow any pressure in this process. We nurture talent as well as treat every player equally," said Singh, who happens to be the chief selector of Hockey India. He also said in the in the last few years, several hockey players from Uttar Pradesh, including Lalit Upadhyay, made it to the Indian teams and won back-to-back bronze medals at the subsequent Olympics. "We are trying to revive the golden past of Uttar Pradesh hockey as well as Indian hockey," added Singh, who is also the director sports of Uttar Pradesh. UP Hockey's chief coach and former India star Rajneesh Mishra held strenuous training of UP teams responsible for the success journey of discipline in the domestic circuit. "I had my doubts about a podium finish at the KIYG as four of main players missed the age limit target, but I was sure that others will put their best foot forward and I am happy that boys came back with a silver medal around their necks," said Mishra. Certainly, Uttar missed the services of Ketan Kushwa, Rahul Yadav, Ajay and Abhishek Khatik. "The success of our boys at the KIYG will help us do well in the upcoming nationals of sub-junior and juniors in the coming months. Four of our players narrowly missed the age limit cut off and if we had those boys in the side we could have won gold in Bihar," said Mishra. He also detailed why youths of Uttar Pradesh are so fascinated by hockey. "It's our rich history in sport which inspires our youths to get attracted to it. Besides this, hockey doesn't require much funds to start with, and one gets the admission so easily in comparison to other sports," he said, adding, "Once you play nationals and win medals, you get plenty of job opportunities in Uttar Pradesh as well as in other organisations in the country." "I find hockey quite entertaining as well as exciting and that's why I chose to play hockey in my days, and for the youths of Uttar Pradesh, the sport is like a religion which everybody wants to worship," said Mishra, a former Indian hockey captain. He also said that even in the past, hockey remained the best sport for personal bonding of players of every sport in Lucknow. "I do remember when all the hockey players as well as cricketers and others used to discuss our sport and plan new things irrespective of caste, creed and religion. I still feel that personal bonding is a key aspect of sportspersons' lives," Mishra added....