CHAPTER - IIISOCIO –

ECONOMICPROFILE OF

THERESPONDENTS

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CHAPTER - IIISOCIO- ECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

This chapter elaborates the location, problem, sample and methods

used in the data collection. The tile of Thesis “Rise and Fall of Hockey inPunjab: A Sociological Analysis” investigates the socio-economic profile

of the respondents and to trace out the social, economic and political

reasons for its tragic downfall. For an analytical study, it was predecided

that the players who have played up to national or inter varsity or above

will be included in the sample. A list of the players from different hockey

institutes who have participated up to the above mentioned level was

procured. The tools and techniques which were used for data collection

were interview schedule and participant observation. The interview

schedule was divided into four sections comprising of socio-economic

profile of the respondents, social reasons for decline of hockey, economic

reasons for its decline and political interference for its decline. The

interview schedule was prepared to according to the objectives so that

important information may not be left behind. The data was collected in

the month of April to September 2010. Various important hockey centers

in Punjab such as – Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Academy at Amritsar; Surjeet

Hockey Academy, Punjab Sports School and Karam Chand Thapar Hockey

Academy, Sansarpur at Jalandhar; PAU (Punjab Agricultural University),

Jarkhar, Kila Raipur and Gurusar Sadhar Academy at Ludhiana; Sports

Hockey Centre Government Brijindra College at Faridkot; National

Institute of Sports (NIS) and SAI (Sports Authority of India) Centre of

Excellency at Patiala were selected for the data collection. The interview

schedule was administered on 300 hockey players who had either played

at national level or inter-varsity level, with 60 players each from five

hockey dominating Districts that are from Mahja Amritsar; from Doaba

Jalandhar; and from Malwa Patiala, Ludhiana and Faridkot which are

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famous for producing good national and international players from its

previous records. Social investigation can be conducted by two methods-

(a) Census method – when the entire area or population is taken into

account, the method is known as census method.

(b) Sampling method – when a small group is selected as a

representative of the whole, it is known as sampling method.

In the process of interviewing the respondents, census method was used

because the list which was procured was too limited to do sampling.

Therefore, all the respondents were interviewed.

An understanding of the social background of the respondents is

important and valuable initial step for further understanding, analysis of

the subject under review. Therefore, the present chapter deals with the

socio-economic profile of the respondents. An attempt is being made to

describe analytically the socio-economic profile of the respondents.

PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS:

In social research, it is not only important but equally essential to explain

the social profile of the respondents, because they have an important

bearing on the attitudes, behavior and activities of the individuals. People

belonging to different socio-economic background are likely to perceive

various social aspects differently; their behavior is bound to be different.

The information of the background of respondents is essential for the

further analysis of the data which is collected and presented in the

ensuing chapters. The special characteristics of the respondents such as

age, sex, caste, religion, education, occupation, income, marital status,

type of family, educational level of the family, etc. are to be discussed in

order to know the truth or their real picture of the social profile. These

features are explained below.

1. Age

Age is a matter of universal concern. It is an important factor in

influencing individual psychological and social perceptions. It is a

73

biological concept but it is of interest to sociologists because it is

accompanied by changes in how it is viewed and treated in society. It

determines your status and specifies the role to be performed in society. In

the life of an individual age has a very important role in determining what

is expected from an individual in performing various roles in society and

occupation. The social and occupational engagements and obligations

increase and decrease with age. It is significant to find out the age

distribution of division of respondents of our sample. In order to get a clear

picture or idea, the entire sample has been classified into two broad

categories. The first category includes respondents from the age category

of 15 to 20 years; the second category includes respondents from the age

category of 21 to 25 years. The distribution the respondents in these two

age categories are shown in the table given below.

Table: 3.1

Distribution of the respondents according to their Age Categories

Age (years) Frequency Percentage

15 to 20 269 89.66

21 to 25 31 10.34

Total 300 100.00

The above table clearly shows that a vast majority of the respondents

that is 89.66 percent belong to the age category of 15 to 20 years and the

remaining of the respondents that is 10.34 percent belong to the age

category of 21 to 25 years. Thus the majority of the hockey players who

are playing are in the age category of 15 to 20 years.

2. Caste

Caste too has been considered as an important factor for social

stratification (Ghurye. 1961, D'Souza, 1972). According to these studies

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the status and role of the members in Indian society are influenced by

their respective castes to which they belong.

The caste system is a very deep rooted and mighty institution in the

Indian society. It has important impact on all other institutions such as

social, economic, political, religious and also educational. As caste system

is very powerful in all aspects of life, therefore, it was considered essential

to collect information about the caste background of the respondents. This

information was necessary because one of the hypotheses of the present

study is that caste background of an individual is likely to influence his

/her performance in all works of life. M.N. Srinivas has dealt with the

concept of ritual status as the determinant of caste in a little more

analytical way. He describes caste system as consisting of groups which

are also autonomous communities, but are united in a hierarchy. When he

states time it brings that community into relation with numerous other

communities all going to form a hierarchy" (Srinivas 1952, 31). But

according to him, the caste hierarchy is a unique one, as it is based on the

concept of ritual status that, “caste guarantees autonomy to a community,

and at the same. This concept is absolutely fundamental to the system,

and along with the concepts of Karma and Dharma, it contributes to make

caste the unique institution; it is," The caste system is present both among

the Sikhs and Hindus and even in the Muslims, though this segment of he

society, being in quite minority has not been included in the present

study. However, reference to their existence in various regions of the

Punjab is very essential. This community is also not free from the caste

taboos.

In the present study the castes have been classified into eight

categories which include Jatt Sikh, Rajput, Brahimin, Khattri, Backward

Caste, Scheduled Caste, Sayyed Caste (Muslim), Jaat (Hindu). Other

Backward Caste includes Nai, Shimbe, Dhobi, Bazigar, Mistri, Shakhi,

Mali, Lohar, Tarkhan, Ghumiar, Ramdasi, Ramgarhia. Scheduled caste

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includes Majbi Sikh, Balmiki, Ravidasi etc. The respondents according to

the above mentioned categories are shown in the table given below.

Table 3.2Distribution of the Respondents according to their Caste

Category

Castes Frequency Percentage

Jatt Sikh 166 55.34

Backward Caste 39 13.00

Scheduled Caste 27 09.00

Rajput 23 07.66

Brahmin 23 07.66

Khattri 15 05.00

Haryana Jatt 04 01.34

Sayyed (Muslim) 03 01.00

Total 300 100.00

The above table clearly shows that more than half of the respondents

that is 55.34 percent belong to the caste group of Jatt Sikh, followed by

15.00 percent belong to the caste group of backward caste; 9.00 percent

belong to the caste group of scheduled caste; 7.66 percent of respondents

belong to the caste category of Rajput and Brahimin caste; 5.00 percent of

the respondents belong to the caste group of Khattri; 1.33 percent belong

to the caste group of Haryana Jaat (Hindu); 1.00 percent of the

respondents belong to the caste category of Sayyed Muslin caste. Thus the

majority of the hockey players who are playing belong to Jatt Sikh

families.

3. Religion

'Religion' when we utter the word as soft and delicate feeling comes

to our mind because directly or indirectly, it makes us attached to God. It

is a mean to join the distorted hearts together. Religion in one of the oldest

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serving social institutions of humanity. It is one of the most important

facets of human being viz. birth, education, marriage, death, etc. It is very

sensitive and private matter of human life touches every temporal aspect

of social cultural life of human beings. As Karl Marx says, 'religion is the

opium for the masses' an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, faith and action

pattern are considered to be influenced by the religion to which the

individual is attached. According the Census Report of 2001 that is, the

total population of Punjab is 24,58,999 and the household population by

religion 14592385 (59.91%) in Punjab belong to Sikhs, the number of

Hindus are 8997942 ( 36.94 %) and Muslims are 3,00,000 ( 1.57%) .

However, other religious groups living in Punjab are Christians, their

number is 292800 (1.20%), Buddhists are 41487 (0.17%), Jains are 39256

(0.16%) and others are 8494 (0.04%). The proportion of the religious

affiliation of the respondents in the presents study is given in the table

cited below.-

Table 3.3Distribution of Respondents according to their Religious Affiliation

Religion Frequency Percentage

Sikh 229 76.33

Hindu 64 21.33

Christian 04 01.34

Muslim 03 01.00

Total 300 100.00

The data presented in the foregoing table reveals that majority of the

respondents that is 76.33 percent belong to the religious community of

Sikh, followed by 21.33 percent belong to the religious community of

Hindus; only 1.34 percent belong to the religious community of Christians;

and a meager proportion of 1.00 percent of respondents belong to the

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religious community of Muslims. This indicates that the majority of the

Sikhs are playing hockey.

4. EducationEducation is considered as a very important factor in present day

society. Education induces not simple changes rather brings absolute

transformation in attitude of the individuals and helps in modernizing

values. Education has a great impact on individual’s status in the society.

As Sheppard stated, Education of course may affect the individual's

chances for bringing in a given occupation, which in turn predetermines

other life chances, including health, status and job security (Sheppard,

1976). The educational level of respondents has been classified into three

broad categories such as up to secondary level, graduate level,

postgraduates/professionals. The distribution of the respondents has been

shown in the table given below.

Table 3.4

Distribution of Respondents to according to their Education

Education Frequency Percentage

Up to Secondary 151 50.34

Graduates 104 34.66

Post Graduates/

Professionals

45 15.00

Total 300 100.00

The distribution of the respondents in the above table clearly

indicates that half of the respondents that is 50.34 percent were educated

up to the secondary education; succeeded by 34.66 percent of the

respondents fall in the educational category of graduation; 15.00 percent

of the respondents fall in the educational category of post graduation and

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above. This indicates that majority of the hockey players are educated up

to secondary level.

5. OccupationAn occupation can be described as a particular action or course of

action in which one is engaged especially; habitually to earn one’s living.

Sociologically, it may be designed as a specific activity having value, which

enables an individual to obtain a steady flow of income. It is one of the

social determinants of one’s economic status and it affects the life style,

behaviour, conduct and even morale as well as one’s role in the society. It

serves as an indicator of socio-economic status and stature of the family.

Varying degree of honour and prestige is attached with each occupation.

The occupational status of the respondents has been classified into three

broad categories such as Government Service, Agriculture and Private

Business. The distribution of the respondents according to the type of

their occupation has been shown in the following table.

Table 3.5Distribution of respondents according to their Occupation

Occupation Frequency Percentage

Government Service 46 79.31

Private Business 09 15.52

Agriculture 03 05.17

Total 58 100.00

242 respondents were still students, so they were engaged in no

occupation. Out of 300 respondents, leaving aside the student category

the remaining of 58 respondents was classified in the above mentioned

table according to their occupation.

The above table reveals that more than half of the

respondents that is 79.31 percent were engaged in the Government Service

occupation; succeeded by 15.52 percent of the respondents fall in the

occupational category of Private Business; and the remaining 05.17

79

percent of the respondents fall in the occupational category of agriculture.

This indicates that maximum of the hockey players are engaged in no

occupation (still students). Besides this, majority of the hockey players are

engaged in Government Service.

6. IncomeIncome is considered to be the most important variable in

determining socio-economic status of an individual. The income of an

individual also influences the quality of life. In the present day

materialistic word economic condition of an individual or the family plays

an important role in getting higher education or achieving social status. In

the present study the respondents have been divided into three categories

relating to their income. The first group constitutes those respondents

whose income category is up to Rs. 20,000; the second category with

income of Rs. 20,001 to 40,000; and the third category with income above

Rs. 40,000. The distribution of the respondents in this regard is presented

in the form of a table given below:

Table 3.6Distribution of respondents according to their Income

Income (Rs.) Frequency Percentage

Up to 20000 (Low) 41 70.69

20001 to 40000 (Medium) 13 22.41

Above 40000 (High) 04 06.90

Total 58 100.00

242 respondents were still students, so they were engaged in no

occupation and earning no income. Out of 300 respondents, leaving aside

the student category the remaining of 58 respondents was classified in the

above mentioned table according to their income category.

The above table reveals that more than half of the

respondents that is 70.69 percent belong to the income category of up to

Rs. 20000; succeeded by 22.41 percent of the respondents fall in the

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income category of Rs. 20001 to Rs. 40000; and the remaining 06.90

percent of the respondents fall in the income category of above Rs. 40000.

This indicates maximum of the hockey players are students and earn no

income. Besides it, majority of the hockey players are earning income up

to Rs. 20000.

7. Marital StatusMarriage is one of the oldest institutions; it has remained

throughout most universal and most distinctive of human institutions.

There is no record of any society, however simple its economic and

political systems that does not have marriage system as one of the key

elements of its social structure (Fuchs, 1983). As the society made

evolution and advanced individuals started proclaiming marriage either

socio-religious union of man with a woman. Thus marriage is the social

recognition of joining of a man with a woman. Thus marriage is the public

recognition of joining of two sexes, under socially specified regulations, of

a man and woman as husband and wife. According to Lundberg (1958)

marriage consists of "the rules and regulations which define the duties

and privileges of husband and wife with respect to each other." Another

sociologist Mazumdar (1966) defined marriage as a socially sanctioned

union of male and female, for purpose of (a) establishing a household (b)

entering into sex relations (c) procreating and (d) providing care for the off-

springs. Prof. Vinogradoff (1960) observes that it is not only an institution

regulating sex relationship and kept by conjugal affectation, but also an

arrangement for bringing up of children and a partnership for economic

ends and social co-operation. According to the marital status, respondents

were classified into two categories, that is, married and unmarried. The

following table on the succeeding page presents the distribution of the

respondents in this regard.

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Table 3.7Distribution of Respondents according to their Marital Status

Martial Status Frequency Percentage

Unmarried 259 86.33

Married 41 13.67

Total 300 100.00

The above table shows that an overwhelming majority of the

respondents that is 86.33 percent mentioned that they were still bachelor

and the remaining 13.67 percent stated that they were married. This may

be due to the fact that an overwhelming majority of the respondents were

still students. This indicates that majority of the unmarried hockey players

are playing hockey.

8. Type of familyFamily is the basic institution in the socialization process of an

individual. Moreover, the family ascribes an initial status to the individual

prior to his achieving status on his own. The type of the family in which an

individual lives has significant influence on his personal and social life.

According to MacIver “family is a group defined by sex relationship

sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and up

bringing of children”. In India we can find various types of families such as

nuclear families, joint families and extended families. However, for the

present study the classification of families as given by Morrison (1959) is

found to be more suitable. He mentioned three major categories of family

i.e. the nuclear, quasi-joint and joint families. Accordingly, the nuclear

family consists of one conjugal pair with or without other relations and the

joint families consists of two or more conjugal pairs with or without other

relatives and further if the husbands in the two parties are related as

father and son, this type of family has been termed as quasi-joint by

Morison. Classification of Morrison has-been followed in present study

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because of its suitability for empirical research. The type of family in which

an individual lives has significant influence on his personal life. The

distribution in this regard is presented in the following table.

Table 3.8Distribution of the respondents according to type of family

Type of Family Frequency Percentage

Joint 198 66.00

Quasi-joint 95 31.67

Nuclear 07 02.33

Total 300 100.00

It is evident from the above table that more than half of the

respondents that is of 66.00 percent belong to the family category of joint

families, followed by 31.67 percent belong to the family category of quasi-

joint families, while only 2.33 percent belong to the family category of

nuclear families. This indicates that majority of the hockey players are

coming from joint families.

9. Educational Level of the familyThe education no doubt has influenced each member of the

society and resulted in raising the standard of living of the people as well

as their mental eye-cue. By acquiring more and more education among the

family members, raises the status and respect in the society. The

education has developed to such an extent that it attracts almost all the

families slaving in any part of the city that they must get their wards

educated. The educational level of the family is believed to have a profound

influence on the attitudes and behaviour of its members. In the present

study, educational level of the family has also been taken into account.

The educational level of the family can also be good indicator regarding the

general socio-economic standing of the family, its status and living

standard in the community. Accordingly, it is decided to assign

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educational score to each family with reference to the number of educated

persons in the family. Average educational score for each family was

worked out and the score classified into three broad categories. These

educational score categories were up to 5 (low), 6-10 (middle) and above 10

(High). Table 3.9 will show the distribution of families according to their

educational scores.

Table 3.9Distribution of families according to their educational score

Educational score Frequency Percentage

Up to 5 ( Low) 251 83.67

6-10 ( Medium) 39 13.00

Above 10 ( High) 10 03.33

Total 300 100.00

The data given in the above table show that an overwhelming

majority of the respondents that is 83.67 percent belong to the category of

educational score of up to 5 which means low educational score, followed

by 13.00 percent of the respondents belong to the category of educational

score between 6 to 10 which stands for medium educational score, only

03.33 percent of the respondents belong to the category of educational

score above 10 which stand for high educational score. This reveals that

the majority of the hockey players come from the low educational level that

is up to 5.

10. Size of the FamilyThe size of the family is a matter of great importance not only

for the country as a whole but also for the welfare and health of the

individual, the family and the community. Our country has adopted the

goal of universalizing the two child family norm by the end of this century.

The achievement of this goal has consequences both at the micro level that

is the level of individuals and family and at macro level that is for the

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nation as a whole. The size of the family affects of quality of life of human

beings. The quality of life does not only pertain to economic standards of

living; rather it has a much wider horizon. Family size affects – basic

human needs, income and growth of the economy and savings, food and

nutrition-quality and quantity, uses of land and urban public system,

health especially, that of mother and child and education particularly that

of children. In the present study the respondents have been divided into

three categories relating to their size of the family (on the basis of number

of children). The first group constitutes those respondents whose size of

the family ranges between 1 -2; the second category with size of the family

between 3-4; and the third category with size of the family of 5-6. The

distribution of the respondents in this regard is presented in the form of a

table given below:

Table 3.10Distribution of respondents according to the size of the family

Size of the Family Frequency Percentage

1 – 2 08 02.66

3 – 4 95 31.67

5 – 6 197 65.67

Total 300 100.00

The above table clearly shows that more than half of the

respondents that is 65.67 percent fall in the size of the family category 5 –

6; 31.67 percent of the respondents belong to the size of the family

category of 3 – 4; and the small proportion of the respondents that is only

2.66 percent fall in the size of the family category of 1 – 2. Thus the

majority of the hockey players who are playing are in the size of the family

category of 5 - 6. Majority of them are from the family where the size of the

family with regard to number of children is very large.

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11. Father’s Occupation

It serves as an indicator of socio-economic status and stature of

the family. It affects life style behavior, conduct and even morale as well as

one's roles in society. Varying degree of honour and prestige is attached

with each occupation. The occupational status of the respondent’s father

has been classified into four broad categories such as Agriculture,

Government Service, Private Business and Labour Class. The distribution

of the respondents according to the type of their occupation has been

shown in the following table.

Table 3.11Distribution of respondents according to their Father’s Occupation

Occupation Frequency Percentage

Government Service 119 41.32

Agriculture 109 37.85

Business 42 14.58

Labour Class 18 06.25

Total 288 100.00

12 respondent’s father’s occupation is not mentioned because their

father had expired. 288 out of 300 respondent’s father’s occupation has

been calculated.

The above table represent that the majority of the respondents

father’s occupation that is 41.32 percent belong to the occupational

category of government service; succeeded by 37.85 percent of the

respondents father’s occupation belong to the occupational category of

agriculture; 14.58 percent of the respondents father’s occupation belong to

the occupational category of private business; and 6.25 percent of the

respondents father’s occupation belong to the occupational category of

Labour Class. This indicates that majority of the father’s occupation of the

hockey players are in government service which is too of the low level

grade.

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12. Father’s IncomeIncome is considered to be the most important variable in

determining socio-economic status of an individual. The income of an

individual also influences the quality of life. Income of the parents has a

direct bearing on the life of the students. A family with good income can

provide better education to their children. If parents are not earning

sufficient income, they can not provide better education and not even they

can afford their children to play sports. In the present day materialistic

word economic condition of an individual or the family plays an important

role in getting higher education or achieving social status. In the present

study the respondent’s father’s income have been divided into four

categories relating to their income. The first group constitutes of those

respondents whose father’s income is up to Rs. 15000 (Low Income

Category); the second category is with income between Rs. 15,001 to

30,000 (Medium Income Group); and the third with income between Rs.

30,001 to 45,000 (High Income Category); and the last category includes

no income group. The distribution of the respondents’ father’s income in

this regard is presented in the form of a table given below:

Table 3.12Distribution of respondents according to their father’s income

Income (Rs.) Frequency Percentage

Up to Rs. 15000 (Low) 171 57.00

Rs. 15001 to Rs. 30000 (Medium) 89 29.67

Rs. 30001 to Rs. 45000 (High) 28 09.33

Total 288 100.00

12 respondent’s father’s income is not mentioned because their

father had expired. 288 out of 300 respondent’s father’s income has been

calculated.

The table given above clearly indicates that majority of the

respondents father’s income that is 57.00 percent belong to the income

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category of up to Rs. 15000 which means low income group, followed by

29.67 percent of the respondents father’s income belong to the income

category of Rs.15, 001 to Rs. 30,000 which stands for medium income

group; 09.33 percent of the respondents father’s income belong to the

income category of Rs. 30,001 to 45,000 which means high income group.

This reveals that majority of the father’s income of the hockey player’s fall

in the low income category that is up to Rs. 15,000. This reveals that low

income group wants their children to play hockey and get a petty job

which will supplement their family income.

13. Land HoldingsThe land holdings determine the socio-economic status of the

family. In the present study the land holdings has been divided into five

categories that is those who do not possess any land holdings, second

category constitute the land holdings between 1 to 10 acres; the third

category includes land holdings between 11 to 20 acres; the fourth

between 21 to 30 acres; and the fifth category between 31 to 40 acres. The

distribution of the respondents has been shown in the table given below.

Table 3.13Distribution of respondents according to their Land Holdings

Land Holdings (acres) Frequency Percentage

Nil 134 44.67

1 to 10 122 40.67

11 to 20 19 06.33

21 to 30 14 04.67

31 to 40 11 03.66

Total 300 100.00

The table given on the preceding page represent that the majority of

the respondents that is 44.67 percent had no land holdings followed by

40.67 percent of the respondents fall in the land holdings category

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between 1 to 10 acres, 6.33 percent of the respondents belong to the land

holdings category between 11 to 20 acres, 4.67 percent of the respondents

belong to the land holdings category between 21 to 30 acres, and 3.66

percent of the respondents belong to the land holdings category between

31 to 40 acres. This reveals that vast majority of the hockey players belong

to the category of no land holdings and followed by 40.67 percent of the

land holdings that is 1 to 10 acres are owned by hockey players.

14. Native PlaceIt is generally believed that the area of residence exercises a

significant influence on the attitudes and behaviour of the people. Place of

residents where an individual resides is an important indicator of a social

position of a person. Place of respondents in many cases makes it easy to

collect the data regarding the status of the persons. It helps in analyzing

the living standard of an individual. In the present study, according to

native place, the respondents were divided into two categories that are

rural and urban. The distribution of the respondents has been shown in

the table given below.

Table 3.14Distribution of Respondents according to their Native Place

Native Place Frequency Percentage

Rural 173 57.66

Urban 127 42.34

Total 300 100.00

The above table indicates that more than half of respondents that are

57.66 percent belong to the category of rural area and the rest of the

respondents that is 42.34 percent belong to the category of urban area.

This shows that more than half of the hockey players are coming from

rural background.

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15. StateIn the present study, the State from which the respondents come has

been classified as follows. The State determines from which area the

maximum respondents are coming. The following table represents the

State from where the respondents are coming in great number.

Table 3.15Distribution of respondents according to their State

State Frequency Percentage

Punjab 256 85.34

• Other States 44 14.66

Total 300 100.00

• Other States include Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,

Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal and

Jharkhand.

The above table clearly indicates that that vast majority of respondents

that is 85.34 percent belong to the State of Punjab, and the remaining

14.66 percent of the respondents belong to the other States.

16. Per Capita IncomePer capita income or income per person is the numerical quotient

of national income divided by population, in monetary terms. It is a

measure of all sources of income in an economic aggregate, such as a

country or city. It does not measure income distribution or wealth. Per

capita income is often used to measure a country's standard of living. . In

the present study the per capita income has been divided into five

categories that is those who had per capita income up to Rs. 3000, second

category constitute the per capita income between Rs. 3001 to 6000; the

third category includes per capita income between Rs. 6001 to 9000; the

fourth category includes per capita income between Rs. 9001 to 12000;

the fifth category includes per capita income above Rs. 12000. The

distribution of the respondents has been shown in the table number 3.16.

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Table 3.16Distribution of respondents according to their Per Capita Income

Per capita Income Rs. Frequency Percentage

Up to Rs. 3000 119 39.67

Rs. 3001 to Rs. 6000 86 28.67

Rs. 6001 to Rs. 9000 52 17.33

Rs. 9001 to Rs. 12000 19 06.33

Above Rs. 12000 24 08.00

Total 300 100.00

The above table represent that the majority of the respondents that

is 39.67 percent of the respondents belong to the per capita income

category of Rs. Up to 3000, followed by 28.67 percent of the respondents

belong to the per capita income category of Rs. 3001 to 6000, 17.33

percent of the respondents belong to the per capita income category of Rs.

6001 to 9000, 8.00 percent of the respondents belong to the per capita

income category of Rs. Above 12,000 and the small proportion of the

respondents that is 6.33 percent belong to the income category of Rs. 9001

to 12,000. This shows that majority of the hockey players fall in the per

capita income group of up to Rs. 3000 which is very low.

CONCLUSION:After explaining the socio-economic profile of the respondents, it

was found that majority of the hockey players were from the age category

of 15 to 20 years. So their mean age was 17.5 years. This shows that they

have performed at the university or national level in quite young age. So

better performance can be expected from them, their talent can be utilized

for a longer period. The vast majority of the hockey players belonged to

Jatt (Sikh) families. It was also found that participation of Hindus,

Muslims and Christians in Punjab is lesser as compared to Sikhs.

Regarding the education of the hockey players, it was observed that half of

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them that is 50.34 percent were educated only up to secondary level. The

educational background of the players was very poor. If there is no proper

education provided to them, how can we imagine raising hockey status? If

the educational status of the players will be enhanced along with their

performance, they can achieve better jobs. Only then it will be a craze for

more and more people to participate and perform well in the game when

the people will see that by playing hockey they can be well settled and

achieve high status jobs. If their educational status will remain the same,

the people may lose the interest and hockey as a game will lose its

interaction. If we really want to commercialize hockey, there is a need to

provide better education simultaneously. It was found that even the

educational background of the family was not found satisfactory. Vast

majority of educational level of the hockey player’s family was up to

educational score of 5 that is low educational score. The occupation of the

father’s of the players revealed that maximum of them were in Govt.

Service which include low level services such as peon, clerk. Even those

whose father’s occupation was private work includes tailor, tea stall,

handicraft works (made cheery used in softies), shop of flour mills (Atta

Chaki), cycle repair works etc. Labour class includes those whose father

works as carpenter, dhobi, coolie, daily wage workers etc. This shows that

fathers of the hockey players were engaged in small menial work. It was

further found that low educational background of the players as well as

family members were participating majority in the game. Keeping in mind

these factors, until and unless they will not be improved, the dignity of the

game will not improve. The analysis revealed that majority of the father’s

income of the hockey players that is 57.00 percent fall in the low income

category that is Rs. 15,000. Due to low income level as well as low

educational level of the family, players did not have high targets of

ambitions. They can not even purchase such costly equipments, no proper

diet this all effect their performance. When ever players get any petty job,

they leave the hockey behind due to lack of zeal towards it because their

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priorities are different. The hockey players were in majority coming from

those families where the size of the family ranges 5 to 6 (on the basis of

number of children). So there is a need to provide better facilities in terms

of education, occupation and income, which can become the pull factors

and the situation, can be made far better.

93

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Lundberg .1958. Lundberg on Sociology. New Delhi: Harper and Bros.

Mazumdar .1966. Grammar of Sociology. Asia Publishing House.

Srinivas, M.N. 1952. Religion and Society among the Coorgs of South India.

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