I’ll play until i can play no more: Tom Joseph

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The debt of dedication can seldom be repaid by money or titles, yet it craves for recognition.

The tale of Tom Joseph, India’s most promising volleyball player since the legendary Jimmy George, tells it loud and clear.

An elusive career spanning 13 years, which includes manning the national team to at least three Asian Games, over half-a-dozen national titles, four SAF Games gold medals and more than a decade of international experience describes the enigmatic Indian ‘spiker’.

Yet, he continues to be the unsung hero of Indian sports as despite serving the nation through such an enduring era, he is one of the few deserving candidates who has not yet been considered for the Arjuna Award.

The 31-year-old, with copious international experience and unfathomable contributions to Indian sports was the natural choice to captain the Kerala contingent for the Jharkhand national games. But, when the State nominated its nine probables for the Arjuna, Tom was not on the list.

“I don’t know what to say. For the last couple of years they tell me that I’m the most deserving candidate but..,” says Tom letting his angst shriek out in the silence that follows.

Since 1998, Tom has been an inseparable segment of the national team and he continues to be the most experienced campaigner. He represented the Yanam Tigers in the Indian Volley League and was adjudged the best player in its Bengaluru edition earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Tom also rues the sinking tradition of volleyball in the State of late. “It is quite sad that not many promising youngsters are coming up from Kerala unlike during our times,” he says.

“I was lucky to start under Joseph sir (P.A. Joseph) in SAI, but, nowadays our players hardly get any exposure. Their talents get stomped down at various levels and it hurts a lot when you see your beloved sport suffering like this,” said Tom, who is employed in Kochi Refineries.

Despite the heart rendering neglect he has been subjected to over the years, Tom continues to be a figure to look up to for budding players in the State as well as for the Indian team, who look up to him for inspiration.

“The kind of support I get from sports lovers and my colleagues is what keeps me going. I have served the game and my country with the utmost dedication and I will continue to play until I can play no more,” said the undecorated Arjuna of Indian volleyball.