Wife of embattled women's hockey coach M K Kaushik says her husband will never disrespect the game and hopes the girls will realise their folly of accusing him of sexual harassment
Wife of embattled women's hockey coach M K Kaushik says her husband will never disrespect the game and hopes the girls will realise their folly of accusing him of sexual harassment
It's not said for nothing that behind every successful man, there's a woman.
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| M K Kaushik with his wife Usha at their Delhi residence. PIC/Rajeev Tyagi |
Erstwhile Indian women's hockey coach M K Kaushik would have been in shambles after the recent charges of sexual harassment leading to his ouster from a job he held for over a decade, had it not been for his wife, Usha.
"She's been my pillar of strength right through," were the only words Kaushik preferred to utter in relation to the scandal, claiming the matter is sub-judice and so it would not be appropriate of him to comment further.
FrustrationUsha however was more than willing to vent all her pent-up anger and frustration. "Throughout our marriage ufffd 29 years to be precise ufffd I've shared him with hockey and to see this happen is so shattering," Usha told MiD DAY at the Kaushik's Ashok Vihar residence recently.
Last month, one of the team's fringe players TH Ranjitha claimed Kaushik sexually harassed her and backed the claim with a letter signed by 31 of her teammates, following which Kaushik resigned even as Hockey India, the ruling body then, initiated an inquiry into the story that made national headlines.
"These girls have been like our daughters and to think they have made such harsh allegations is shocking. I understand that they may have been backed by certain people with vested interests, but the least the girls could have done was think of the family-like ties they shared with us," said Usha, who claims to have fed the very same mouths that have today bitten her husband.
"These girls have not only eaten in my house on a number of occasions, but I have also taken food for them to the ground many times. I remember once Kaushik told me that the girls at the camp here at the National Stadium are missing home food. So I got up at 4am to make breakfast for them. I made about 80 aloo parathas and sent my son by autorickshaw to the stadium with the parcel. Does all this call for such a stab in the back," asked Usha.
That dayHowever, their neighbourhood stood by them. "We've been living in Ashok Vihar for over three decades now and the day the story broke, the entire place was hounded by newspersons. All hell broke lose, but thankfully our neighbours came to our rescue and prevented what looked to be turning into a riot-like situation," added Usha.
Mrs Kaushik is worried about her husband. "He has not slept well even for a single night since the incident. He was even prescribed sleeping pills, but the medicines didn't quite agree with him and he gave them up. I'm not bothered about the outcome of the probe because I know my husband more than anyone else in this world.
"Hockey has been his life and he could never disrespect the game in any way. All I ask of the Almighty is to let the girls realise their folly soon and approach us. We will be the first to forgive and forget."
