It was a wish that their mother had made since Yuvraj and Devindar Walmiki began playing hockey. Each time the youngsters went home and related their tales of matches, she would ask just one question: “When will you play for India together?” While Yuvraj broke into the national team through his exploits in the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy in China — a triumph that brought limelight and electricity into his household in Mumbai — Devindar slowly worked his way up through the junior ranks. Together, they learnt and grew up on hockey and were part of the junior and senior teams, but were never chosen to play together.
This week, the Walmiki brothers joined the list of only a handful of siblings who have played for India together, when they competed in the World Hockey League semi-finals in Antwerp, Belgium. Ask who among the two was more excited, and pat comes the reply, “Our mother is the happiest!”
“She was the first person I called and she was simply elated,” says Devindar, who plays in midfield and made his senior international debut. “It is a huge, huge moment for me. While I have the experience of playing in the junior team, I will look up to Yuvi to guide me ahead. He is my best friend and mentor.”
From teenagers who learnt the nuances of the game in the by-lanes of Mumbai — they spent their childhood in a 16x16 shanty near Marine Drive with no electricity — and endless nights under the street light to finish their homework, the Walmiki brothers have been a fairytale story of Indian hockey.
Young, enthusiastic and hard working, the ever-smiling brothers are proof of what can be achieved if an aim is pursued with passion and determination. Says 25-year-old forward Yuvraj, “I am happy that Dev has made it to the team. It’s always a special feeling when your younger brother gets in the team. During the Hockey India League, we played opposite each other for two years and this time we will be together.”
As kids though, the brothers had a tough time convincing their mother to let them take up hockey. Worried that her sons would give up education for sport, she would often hide their sticks.
“Our parents are not educated. They came to Mumbai 40 years ago, but could not earn enough to get proper education, meals or living. So, skipping education was never a choice for us. They were adamant that we should not end up suffering like them. Sometimes, she used to hide our sticks as she believed sport wouldn’t provide us with a comfortable life,” says Devindar.
Shoes, sticks, kits, and even books weren’t a novelty and were often provided by fellow players or relatives, until the boys were spotted by Merzaban Patel — popularly known as Bawa — who runs a local hockey team called Bombay Republicans. Says Yuvraj, “Our parents took a loan for our education when both of us were very young. We were into an English medium school. If other students had nice uniforms and fancy pencil boxes, our parents tried to reduce that gap by providing us with the best of education and facilities.
“Our parents were our first role models... they taught us to make the most of life with the minimum of resources.” Today, Yuvraj and Devindar are among the most stylish players in the team and “turn to each other for everything”. “You can say we are more like friends, and not brothers. We have a special bonding and since we are the only ones in the family — we are four brothers — who play hockey, we have a lot to talk about. We go out for movies and shopping together and even talk about girls and relationships,” says Yuvraj, adding that he never felt the need to be strict with ‘Dev’.
“I took up hockey because of him. As a kid, I would follow whatever Yuvi did. He started playing hockey, so it was a given for me,” says Devindar, insisting that unlike other siblings, they never fight or argue with each other. Yuvraj nods in agreement, but has a tale to relate.
“I was short-tempered as a child. I think I was around eight years old, and one afternoon, Devindar was just irritating me with non-stop banter. I took a tile and hit him on the head... there was blood all over and I was very, very scared. I carried him in my arms and ran around to get him treated.
“From that day on, I vowed to just take care of him.” Today, as they continue to do the country and their parents proud, the bond has only grown stronger.
