Say Cheese! On a break from his assignment as coach of the Greek national hockey side, D'Souza is overseeing affairs at Sante, his gourmet food store in Bandra. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

INDIA'S contingent at the Beijing Olympics was a truncated one in the absence of the hockey team. But not qualifying for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years is good reason for the mandarins of the Indian Hockey Federation to renew their efforts to revive the national sport, according to Cedric D'Souza.

The former national coach feels it's time to turn calamity into opportunity.

On a break from his assignment as coach of the Greek national hockey side, D'Souza is overseeing affairs at Sante, his gourmet food store in Bandra and finding time to mull over the state of hockey affairs. "There is a feeling that our national sport is in tatters and doomed.

There's no point in crying over spilt milk. The need of the hour is to regroup, put a feasible plan into place and think ahead by making radical changes," he says.

Detached

Axed as coach after India's dismal performance at the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, D'Souza has been detached from Indian hockey since. But that doesn't mean he is not abreast with the hockey happenings in his country.

"Ric Charlesworth," he says, "was the best thing to have happened to Indian hockey. He is one great coach, a thorough professional with a proven track record.

"If he were to be given a free hand and the tools to ply his trade, he would have ensured a medal in a few years' time," he says.

The last five years have been a good experience and he is enjoying every moment of his Greece stint. "Initially, I was skeptical about what I had got myself into, especially when I realised that I had to make a competitive team in a country with no hockey background. Football and basketball rule the roost there but I was not going to shy away from the challenge.

"My first aim was to make them as physically fit and technically sound as possible and then bridge the gap between Greece and the other countries in Europe. Slowly but surely the objectives and realistic targets set out in the Long Term Development Plan were achieved. That for me is a graph of improvement."
A case of India's loss and Greece's gain? You bet.


Lots in store

CEDRIC D'Souza's association with Sante goes back to 2005. That's when he came in touch with master chef Milanda Jagtiani, co-owner of this gourmet foods store at Bandra's Pali Naka.

The store, which has a niche clientele, serves up a large variety of cheese and meat. "Milanda is the brain behind this venture.

My coaching commitments keep me away most of the time, but Milanda ensures smooth operation of this place. Of course, when I am around, I spend as much time as I can at this place."