After dancing the Bhangra with college kids, telling his security detail to vamoose so he could schmooze with the Janata and clambering up an electricity poll to fix erratic power supply, Charanjit Singh Channi, clearly a man of the people, donned a new avatar on Sunday, October 31, 2021.
The Punjab chief minister, who played hockey when he was younger, stood in goal for a bit during the final match of the Surjit hockey tournament at the Katoch stadium in Jalandhar.
Please click on the images to view CM Channi's goalie skills.
IMAGE: Does P R Sreejesh, Team India's goalkeeper, have anything to worry about watching Goalie Channi in action? Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Channi, left, with the local MLA, who also doubles up as Punjab's sports minister.
Mantriji's hockey credentials are of world renown.
In his hey day, Pargat Singh was considered one of world hockey's finest defenders.All Photographs: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Pargat Singh led the Indian hockey team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as well as the 2000 Barcelona Olympics.
In more recent times, he was a leader of the rebellion within the Punjab Congress party which saw Captain Amarinder Singh (retd) replaced as Punjab chief minister by the more approachable figure of Charanjit Singh Channi. Photograph: PTI Photo
Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Mahipal Soni/Rediff.com
