The extraordinary story of India's hockey-playing brothers, Devindar and Yuvraj Walmiki

Genius is a mystery. When audiences saw Ayrton Senna race into that gap that no one else would even consider, when they nicknamed Dhyan Chand the wizard of hockey for ball control that seemed to be from another planet, or when we see Virat Kohli rescue India from impossible situations time and time again, what we often see is pure genius.

But what we often miss is what goes behind the making of a genius.

Think of the many millions that throng the Vatican and look up in awe and wonder at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted by Michelangelo. What they see is the genius of the man. What they often miss is what Michelangelo had to go through to create that bit of magic. Working on the Sistine Chapel was so unpleasant for Michelangelo that he actually wrote a poem about his misery and torture describing the physical strain in detail.

One evening, a friend and I sat down to watch the final game of the second season of the Hockey India League. At a crucial time in the game, Delhi Waveriders' Yuvraj Walmiki received the ball in the shooting circle, set himself up, and unleashed a vicious hit at goal. Such was its ferocity that it crashed into the boards and left Jaap Stockman – arguably the best goalkeeper in the world – stranded in the Punhab Warriors' goal.

My friend commented, “This guy was born to score.” Yuvraj Walmiki's composure in front of the goal and the precision in the shot might make one feel that way, but in reality, nothing could have been farther from the truth. What my friend saw was the ease with which Yuvraj buried that chance, but what he missed completely was the blood, sweat and tears it took to make that goal look as easy as it did.

Yuvraj begins

Yuvraj (above right) and Devindar Walmiki (above left) were not born to score goals or even play hockey – they were born into grinding poverty of the worst kind. Two of four children born to Sunil Walmiki, a private driver and Meena Walmiki, a housewife, they spent their entire childhood and much of their life living in a Mumbai garage turned home that had no electricity, no water, no sanitation and no place even for a bed to sleep on.

Most of the everyday amenities that the urban middle class in India take for granted seemed like unaffordable luxuries to them. As they struggled to make ends meet, all that Sunil and Meena wanted was that their children should study in an English medium school. It was at school that Yuvraj met Boon D’souza, a friend who introduced him to the game.

As Yuvraj would go to play on the cement courts around the Mahindra Stadium at Churchgate with Boon, his brother Devindar began to tag along. They soon found themselves under the tutelage of Merzban Patel, more popularly known as Bawa, who is quite a remarkable figure in Mumbai hockey.

Bawa manages the Bombay Republicans, a team that has bred and nurtured talent for close to five decades now. More than 30 international players and 5 Olympians have been on the roster of the Republicans. While he will be the first to admit that he is no coach, what he does offer the players, many of whom are from impoverished backgrounds like the Walmikis, is competitive experience and sufficient equipment.

It was for the Bombay Republicans that Yuvraj played his first competitive game as a scrawny 14-year-old kid who looked like he was 10. Before the final whistle was blown that day, he had got his name on the scoresheet an astonishing nine times. He has never wanted to get off it since then.

As Yuvraj climbed the ladder of success one step at a time, Devindar followed in his elder brother’s footsteps, also starting at the Republicans. With the expectations from Yuvraj mounting, he had to cope with being in the limelight and soaking up the pressure from the very beginning. In the process, almost inadvertently like a responsible elder sibling absorbing all the stress, he freed Dev from any sort of burden, allowing him to just go out on the field and enjoy playing the game. This eventually helped Dev develop a very different personality and an altogether different game from that of Yuvraj’s.

A roller-coaster ride

Yuvraj and I had both made it to the list of probables for the Junior Asia Cup that was to be held in Hyderabad in July of 2008. Neither of us eventually made it to the team that went on to win that particular tournament, but in the month-long camp held at the Gachibowli Hockey Complex, Yuvraj had more than left his mark, indicating clearly what was to come from him in the near future.

As he left onlookers spellbound with his dazzling skills and scored a bucket-load of goals, the only plausible explanation for his not making that team was his slightly built frame. This was something that would be held against him time and time again, his sublime skills and clinical finishing notwithstanding.

Yuvraj was also left out of the team for the Junior World Cup, co-hosted by Malaysia and Singapore, in 2009. In all, he was omitted a staggering 13 times, and never played for the Junior team, breaking directly into the Senior team in 2010. But while he was being ignored for the Indian team constantly, his performances on the domestic circuit were fast winning admirers.

Yuvraj was offered his first big ticket contract with domestic giants Air India. For a player with limited ambition and faced with regular disappointment, the cozy world of mediocrity would have sufficed. But for someone with the burning ambition of Yuvraj, it was nowhere near enough. His moment came, of course, and he went on to play for India a total of 52 times, scoring the winner against Pakistan at the Asian Champions Trophy in 2011 and representing India at the World Cup in Den Hague in 2014 along the way.

However, since breaking into the Indian team, Yuvraj's career graph has been anything but steady. Ravaged by injuries and bad luck, he has found himself out of the team more often than in it. Most painfully, when he got injured during the Olympic Qualifiers in 2012 and missed the London Games altogether.

What is remarkable is his ability to fight his way back into the team as he did after the disappointment of missing out on the Olympics. But, curiously, he was dropped from the list of 24 probables declared soon after. Returning to square one, he made his way back. He went on to play at the World Cup and won the Hockey India League with the Delhi Waveriders and became a regular in the Indian team once again.

Fast forward to 2016. Another Olympic year and another set of injuries saw him miss the bus yet again. This time though, the experience is bittersweet, as another Walmiki has made it to Rio – his own brother.

Enter the brother

At a distance from the constant spotlight that Yuvraj found himself in, almost in his shadow, as it were, another promising career took shape. That of the younger Walmiki.

It is easy to see why Dev’s rise has gone almost unnoticed. He does not have the craft and acuity of his brother or his deadly finish. For the uninitiated, talent like that can be difficult to spot. But what he does have is delightfully invaluable for purists.

This includes tremendous athleticism, the ability to dominate games in midfield, the versatility to play as a box-to-box midfielder or as a link man initiating attacks from the back and supporting them at the other end of the pitch. On top of which, Dev pops up every once in a while with the odd goal.

His intensity is infectious. Within a year of breaking into the Indian team, Dev has not only cemented his place in the squad, but has also become indispensable to the Indian midfield.

From those nine goals on debut to the all-important wonder goal against Pakistan – only after which did the Walmikis get electricity in their house, following the rather embarrassing pictures of their living conditions which were flashed across TV screens nationwide – Yuvraj must have made a few million attempts on goal at the Mahindra Stadium in Mumbai. Day after day, week after week, whenever he got an opportunity, he would be taking shots at goal, often with an imaginary goalkeeper under the bar.

Dev, on the other hand, developed as a powerhouse in midfield who would really need some stopping once he started running with the ball deep in his own half. No opportunity would be lost to get on the ground and train. They would be on the ground every single day without fail, slogging it out, trying to perfect various aspects of the game. To the struggle of everyday life Yuvraj and Dev added the struggle of achieving excellence in sport.

But it surprises me even today how the media and the hockey fraternity at large while, focussing on Yuvraj, all but missed noticing Dev’s career. While Yuvraj came back to a hero’s welcome from Ordos, China, after winning the gold at the Asian Champions Trophy, Dev had already made it to the Junior India camp that was being held at Jalandhar.

The wait to break on to the big stage was unfortunately prolonged as Dev participated in the unsanctioned World Series Hockey, which led to a two-year ban. The struggle continued even after the ban was lifted. He only broke into the Indian team in 2015, but once in, has managed to carve out a clear space for himself in the midfield set-up.

It was at various forums that I would tell people to watch out for Dev. My suggestion would often be followed up by a question, “Devindar who?” Which would inevitably be followed up by, “Is he Yuvraj’s brother?” Dev scored against Poland at the Hockey World League in Belgium on debut, and has since then racked up one good performance after another stepping completely out of his brother’s shadow.

While Yuvraj was struck by multiple injuries again and again, Dev had more than a chance at making the team to Rio. Such was the caution observed in the Walmiki household that Yuvraj did not allow him to drive the car, ride the bike or even go near the cooking gas, lest he meet with the most unfortunate of accidents before the team was to be announced.

Dev made the team to Rio, and his first call was to his brother. It was after all Yuvraj’s dream that Dev was living. It was a momentous day not only for the Walmikis but for an entire generation of hockey players in Mumbai. Dev in a way represents all of us.

No acknowledgment

The incredibly tough UPSC exam was topped by a Dalit girl, Tina Dabi, who was followed in the rankings by a Kashmiri boy. It is a rather telling indictment of our society that while politicians from all parties fell over one another to tweet and congratulate them on their unquestionably remarkable achievements, Devindar, who belongs to the Dalit-Walmiki community, and grew in conditions nowhere near ideal for breeding athletes, has not even been congratulated by his local MLA.

Ever wondered why we do not win as many medals at the Olympic Games as we should for a nation of more than a billion people? Here’s your answer.

When I called to congratulate Yuvraj, he said, “Watch out Sid, it’s time for a comeback. When Dev broke into the team I was an established member. I will now break in as Dev has established himself.” I won't be the least bit surprised to see that happen.

For now, though, the attention will for once be on Devindar Walmiki, while Yuvraj will barely be able to watch the action unfold on TV, sit still, or hold a steady thought in his head.

Siddharth Pandey represented India at the U-19 level and is now with Star Sports as a broadcaster and hockey expert.

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