city's niyaz for India hockey camp

By Paritosh Pramanik

FINALLY, his hard work and perseverance has paid off, though partially. Niyaz Rahim, an excellent hockey player of city, has been selected in the 60-member squad which will be part of the Senior Men’s National Hockey Camp to be conducted by Hockey India.
The 12-day camp is going to be held at SAI Centre, Bengaluru from April 8 to 20.
The 60 campers will be pruned to 33 core probables who will continue with the camp which will be held from April 21 to May 5 after which Indian team for World Hockey Series will be picked.
This is for the first time in several decades that a player from Nagpur has been included in the national camp.
Niyaz, an enterprising midfielder as well as a quick forward has been included after his consistent performance in the national championships.
Niyaz is presently working with the South Central Railways as a TTI at Secundrabad.
Hailing from a hockey playing family, Niyaz, son of former national-level player Mumtaz-ur Rahim, fondly called as ‘Rabbani chacha’ in hockey circle, learned the tricks of trade playing with his school Tidke Vidyalaya. At the same time he joined Bright Club and then Police Boys before settling with Dhyanchand Sports Academy, one of the best clubs of the region.
After passing out from Tidke in 2005, the fleet-footed Niyaz did his graduation in Bachelors in Physical Education in 2011.
He started playing all over the country and was selected by SAI, Mumbai. Later he got a job with the South Central Railways on the basis of his unbeatable performance.
A few years back, he was also shortlisted for the Hockey India League (HIL) Auctions but as luck would have it, was not picked by any franchise.
“Bhaiyya, we need a Godfather. Only performing on the field is not enough,” he had said to this newspaper then.
“But I will continue to do what I have to... perform...that’s the only thing in my hand,” Niyaz had said.
Today, Niyaz is proud winner of five national gold medals. He is an integral part of Indian Railways (RSPB) team for more than six years and has won Hockey India Nationals on three successive seasons.
Niyaz was part of the history-making Railways team that won three straight Hockey India organised senior nationals at Pune (2015), Saifai, UP (2016) and Lucknow (2017). The team won bronze last year. They bettered their performance with another gold earlier this year at Gwalior, of which Niyaz was vice-captain.
While representing Mumbai in 2010, Niyaz had won gold at Bhopal nationals.
Niyaz was also selected by now defunct Indian Hockey Federation for Under-16 IHF Centre Talent Hunt held at Amritsar in 2005.
“It is a very proud moment for our family. Niyaz has been working hard for several years to see this day. We are very happy for him,” said his elder brother Imtiyaz who himself was an excellent forward before a knee injury cut short his career.
With medals dangling around his neck, Niyaz never lost hope of making it to national camp. He has rubbed shoulders with almost all the current India players during All India or Hockey India national championships, some of which are his Railways-mates.
Niyaz has partially fulfilled his dream by making it to the list of 60. His continued hard work for next couple of weeks will see whether he fulfils his long pending dream of donning India colours.