The Tribune: No shoes, no proper diet, no shortage of spirit

By Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Girls from modest background pursue their hockey dreams, with hardly any support from Sports Dept

Outside a small paan shop, a girl in smart sports clothing is talking to the woman selling the paan. Then, to the surprise of those watching, the girl joins the woman in her work in the shop. On being asked, 14-year-old Sangeeta says that the paan-seller is her mother.

Sangeeta, an aspiring hockey player, helps her mother in preparing paans, holding the betel leaves. Then she gives her mother the good news: “I’ve been selected to play in the hockey tournament being organised by the Punjab Sports Department.”

Sangeeta seeks the blessings of her mother, who tells her: ‘Achcha khelna, ghabrana nahi!” (“Play well, don’t be anxious.”)

The mother then says that she’s working hard in her shop to make sure that her daughter’s dreams come true. “I want to see my daughter become a successful hockey player,” she says.

No shoes, diet

Sangeeta is a state level player but has little support from the Sports Department. She does not get shoes to play hockey, and she does not get a good diet or diet money from the Sports Department. This year, no player in her school — Government Senior Secondary School, Ladovali Road — has got the prescribed diet from the Sports Department.
Most of the players who have gathered at the Surjit Hockey Stadium for the U-17 district hockey tournament belong to poor families.

A majority of Sangeeta’s school-mates played in wearing shoes borrowed from their seniors or friends because their parents cannot afford to buy them. Many of the players were seen playing in their school shoes, which too were in a bad condition.

After winning a game, the girls relaxed and discussed their strategy for the next game with their coach, Sita. The coach says that it is not easy to play in school shoes because they don’t provide a good grip on the wet astroturf and the players tend to slip.

Sangeeta and her friend Jyoti, whose father is a scrap dealer, have played state hockey tournaments such as Khelo India U-14 in Mohali. Their families managed to buy shoes for them with much difficulty, but their shoes look quite ragged now.

Sita, who has been coaching the girls for the last three years, said it is very important that the young players got a proper diet at this stage because they are growing up. “Most of these girls have no shoes, and I arrange shoes for them before a tournament, and that is how they play,” the coach said.

Big dreams

A team from Sarih village of Ludhiana district had also come to play the tournament. Mamta, 14, from Sarih is the daughter of a painter while Taniya’s father is a plumber.

Suman, originally from Jharkhand, has tears in her eyes when asked if she goes to school. In a trembling voice, she says: “I have just completed Class XII and I am not sure if I will study further.” She says that her father, who works as a daily wage worker, cannot afford to give her an education. Suman, though, is not willing to give up hockey too. She says that she can afford to quit her education, but not sport.

These girls from Sarih have got very little going for them but they are prepared to face every difficulty. Their coach, Major Singh, says it is important that the government boosted the motivation of these young girls by giving them all the facilities.

However, despite their problems, the girls are not expecting anything from anyone. They are focused on winning and becoming star players.