Hockey: Hockey helps in bringing rural troika closer to their dreams

In the word of a true sportsman,height isn't her greatest strength.

The stage was perfectly set. Hamari Beti (our daughter)- a little,blue-eyed,smiling girl with lilac coloured hair,the mascot of Mehar Baba Charitable Trust,an organisation fighting against female foeticide,that stood out against the background. However,it was Pallavi Kaur’s affable demeanor that was such a beautiful sight to behold. In the word of a true sportsman,height isn’t her greatest strength. In fact,she was considered too timid to withstand the physical attrition of the sport due to her pint-sized frame. But Pallavi has proved everyone wrong.

In the next three weeks,Pallavi,who plays as a centre-forward,will once again take the field,this time in the Sub-Junior National Hockey Under-14 for girls,in her village,Bassi Pathana. Perhaps the most difficult,but also the most important tournament of her life,Pallavi isn’t overawed by the pressure and the expectations . “I will play as I normally do. I know it is a big tournament but I just want to help my team win,” Pallavi,12,shared.

But just being on the field,feeling the essence flowing back,is so obviously a joy not only to Pallavi,but also to Amanjot and Lakhwinder Kaur,her team-mates from the Rani Jhansi brigade at Mehar Baba Charitable Trust (MBCT).

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Of the three,Lakhwinder is the most experienced,not in age,but the number of sub-junior tournaments she has played till now. Those tournaments in Amritsar and Chhatisgarh has taught her few vital lessons,something which she wants to share with her team-mates to motivate them.

“During the sub-junior championships,we get a chance to meet senior national hockey players like Rajpal Singh,Sandeep Singh,Inderjeet Chahdha and they often come and tell us how well we played in the match. They always have encouraging words for us,” said Lakhwinder,who plays on the right flank.

If confidence is missing from the team,Lakhwinder and Pallavi turns to Amanjot Kaur,the team’s reliable goalkeeper,for inspiration.

“Until two years ago,we had never held hockey sticks in our hands,but now we are taking part in the sub-junior national championship. Playing hockey gives us joy and it has given a new meaning to our lives,” Amanjot,13,whose father is a daily-wager,said.

Success story

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Success came just ten months after these under-privileged girls got into hockey and they became the district champions. Success followed when Amanjot and Lakwinder were among the seven girls selected for the SAI Centre in Chandigarh after a gruelling selection trials. In the next few weeks,Lakhwinder and Pallavi will move to the Sector 42 Sports Complex to polish their skills at the hockey stadium.

“If they keep playing like this,I am sure they will make it to the Indian sub-junior and then the junior teams in the next two-three years. Everything depends on how much they are willing to work hard to achieve the goals,” Jyoti Malhotra,adviser,MBCT,said.

Meanwhile,Bassi Pathana will play host to 25 teams for the sub-junior national hockey championship for Under-14 girls to be played from May 20 to 28. The championship would be played under the aegis of Indian Hockey Federation.

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