Chak De in Tokyo: Families of women hockey players from Haryana revel in spotlight
ROHTAK/ AMBALA: As the Indian women’s hockey team stormed into the semi-finals on Monday, beating World No 2 Australia by 1-0, their families back home reveled in joy.
At least nine of the players in 16-member squad are from Haryana-three of them from Kurukshetra’s Shahbad, three from Sonepat, two from Hisar and one from Sirsa.
Led by skipper Rani Rampal, this is the first-ever Indian women’s hockey team to reach the semi-finals. “Our daughter has made us proud,” said an elated Rampal, the father of skipper Rani Rampal at his residence in Shahbad, almost 200 km from the national capital.
Youngest of the three siblings, she started playing hockey in
Class 5 after seeing girls her age going to play in a ground near her school. Her mother Ram Murti, 53, added it was her daughter’s ‘zidd’ (obstinacy) that brought her this far.
“Our family saw tough times; we couldn’t even afford a hockey stick for our daughter. But she was determined and under the guidance of her coach, Baldev, she earned this honour,” said the 27-year-old skipper’s father who drove a horse-cart almost all his life to provide for the family.
The proud parents added, “We were clueless about the sport. At a time when girls were not even allowed to step outside their homes, we encouraged her to pursue her dreams. We would urge all parents to do so.”
Another local girl, defender Navjot Kaur, 25, was also inspired by other girls going to a hockey ground near their house and started playing at the age of 10, her father Satnam Singh, a shocker mechanic said.
Goalie Savita Punia’s saves did the trick
While Gurjit Kaur scored the first and only goal of the match in the second quarter, Sirsa girl Savita Punia remained a solid wall as she saved nine goals in the match.
Talking over the phone, 31-year-old Punia’s father, Mahender Punia, who works as a pharmacist, said, “She has fulfilled the dream of her late grandfather who got her enrolled in hockey at 14.”
“In her early days, Savita used to travel 30 kms from Jodhkan to Sirsa to sharpen her hockey skills. Later, she got a hostel facility and she used to visit home on weekends,” he added.
Her mother, Leelavati Punia, said,” My daughter had to carry an extra bag for the goalkeeping kit during her travel on private buses. Many times, the conductors refused to let her travel seeing her two big bags. She complained several times that the conductors used to kick her bag aside,” she added.
The others in the team from the state include Navjot Kaur, Neha Goyal, Monika Malik, Navneet Kaur, Nisha, Sharmila Devi and Udita.