Sportstar

Sounding the boards, loud and clear!

- UTHRA GANESAN

Bhubaneswa­r, and Odisha by extension, is perhaps one of the last bastions in the country where hockey gets more eyeballs than cricket and hockey players remain bigger stars than cricketers.

For a city that is equal parts old and new, Bhubaneswa­r has a character that symbolises both its aspects. The people are warm but the city itself is too wellplanne­d, specially the newer areas, and is devoid of the uniqueness that marks its older sibling Cuttack. What stand out all around, however, are the huge hoardings welcoming the world to the city for the Hockey World Cup, the biggest sporting event ever in the state.

Come November 2■ and the Odisha government would be hoping all its efforts in

 ?? BISWARANJA­N ROUT ?? A view of the venue: The Kalinga hockey stadium in Bhubaneswa­r looks spic and span before the World Cup.
BISWARANJA­N ROUT A view of the venue: The Kalinga hockey stadium in Bhubaneswa­r looks spic and span before the World Cup.

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