Mazhar Jabalpuri, who passed away on April 21 in Karachi at the age of 91, was easily the most prolific hockey journalist of Pakistan. In a period spanning more than half a century, he penned down hundreds of articles in English and Urdu. They appeared in leading newspapers of the country, including The News, Dawn, Pakistan Times, Jang and Jasarat, as well as in the sports and hockey journals, including FIH`s official magazines.He also contributed to the souvenirs of numerous domestic tournaments, including more than 30 national championships for men, women and juniors, apart from international events and matches staged in Pakistan. He wrote 15 books on hockey - more than anyone else in Pakistan.

As his name suggests, he was born in Jabalpur in what is now the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Hockey was a popular sport in Jabalpur and he was a member of his school`s hockey and soccer teams. His family migrated to Pakistan in 1947 when Jabalpuri was only 17.

His love for hockey continued in Karachi where he played for top local clubs, including the renowned Pak Independent where quite a few Olympians were his teammates. He appeared for these clubs in domestic tournaments in different parts of the country. Moreover, he represented the strong Karachi zone team in the national championships.

When his playing days were over, Jabalpuri established and ran clubs, not only hockey but also soccer, shooting ball and even wrestling. For his day job, he worked in Pakistan`s foreign ministry for around 25 years and also served on overseas assignments in India, Mauritius and Yemen.

Jabalpuri began writing sports articles in 1956. During the first few years, there were quite a few on football along with hockey, plus occasionally on wrestling, shooting ball, volleyball, tennis, and bodybuilding.

Later, it was almost exclusively hockey pieces which covered every aspect: previews and reviews of tournaments (international as well as domestic), statistical records of major events, interviews, profiles, and obituaries of players and administrators, comments on team selections, and Karachi`s hockey scene.

Like all hockey lovers, he was greatly perturbed by Pakistan hockey`s continuous decline over the last 25 years. And he expressed it in a number of articles, criticising the PHF officials with no holds barred.

Mazhar Jabalpuri`s books are a treasure trove of information for all the hockey lovers, especially his compatriots. His book World Hockey Statistics, published in 1991, covered the big five events i.e. Olympics, World Cup, Champions Trophy, Asian Games and Asia Cup from 1908-1991: results of all the matches, team positions, leading scorers, names of gold, silver and bronze medal team players, and Pakistan team`s players and scorers.

He came out with other books, also covering the history of the game: World Cup, Asian Hockey History, Champions Hockey Trophy, Junior Asia Cup, Indo-Pak Hockey Competitions, Olympic Games Hockey and Pakistan, Pakistan First to Last Hockey Gold, Pakistan Hockey`s Highs and Lows. Books dwelling on Pakistan’s hockey history not only provide records but also a lot of information regarding the factors and the main actors behind the campaigns, especially those in which Pakistan failed.

`Ready Reckoner Pakistan Hockey` encompassed every aspect of Pakistan hockey in facts and figures in as many as 56 chapters.

`Pakistan Hockey - Stars and Heroes` profiles no less than 180 international players who represented the country with distinction.

Jabalpuri contacted players in different parts of the country as well as outside - a huge effort in those times considering there was no mobile phone or internet.

`Hockey Markaz Karachi` is a history of the game in Jabalpuri`s hometown which is also Pakistan`s biggest city and a major hockey centre. `Gulistan Hockey Coaching` carries instructions for practising all the hockey skills with graphics and also elaborates the positional play in defence, midfield and attack. It was no surprise as Jabalpuri remained an active player for more than two decades and also managed hockey clubs.

`Jamalistan Hockey Quiz` contains 1,250 interesting questions and their answers related to different aspects of the game - a real gift for the lovers of the game.

His books on hockey history are extremely useful to hockey journalists, writers and commentators. The scribe has been a great beneficiary.

He also wrote a book on football in Pakistan (1960) and one on fishing (1997). It was a labour of love; never a source of income. Sometimes, he found sponsors who helped him cover the cost of publication but at times he had to spend from his own pocket. Poor reading culture in this country means there were very few buyers. He was often seen distributing his books among enthusiasts at hockey grounds. His last book appeared about 10 years back. He had started working on a couple more but couldn’t finish them because of deteriorating health, especially poor eyesight.

I often contacted him regarding information for my articles and he always obliged. If I pointed out some corrections in his work, he appreciated.

Pakistan`s national game will always remain indebted to the selfless writer. It will be befitting if the media box in Karachi`s Abdul Sattar Hockey Stadium or Lahore`s National Hockey Stadium is named after Mazhar Jabalpuri. It will only be a small tribute to his great services to hockey.

ijaz62@hotmail.com