Rani: From struggling for food to winning Khel Ratna

Today Rani Rampal is one of the finest female hockey players in the world. The Indian team captain, ever since breaking into the national team as a spirited 14-year-old in 2009, has been rising. The Khel Ratna Award that she won two days ago is just an attestation of her talent, hard work and on-field success.

Things, however, were far more difficult for the Haryana girl when she first aspired of becoming a hockey player as a kid. Born to a cart-pulling father and a homemaker mother, hockey as a career option appeared a pipe dream for Rani for whom getting two proper meals a day was a luxury.

"It has been a very difficult journey," Rani recalled in a chat with DH. "My father was a cart puller. We were a big family and it was difficult. Sometimes we would wonder whether we could eat two proper meals a day. But one thing I figured out when I was a kid was that if we harboured ambitions and worked hard, we could succeed.

"I fell in love with hockey as a young kid. I figured that if I excelled in hockey, my life would become better and also would get a chance to represent the country which is a huge honour. My father, despite his limitations, worked very hard so that I could pursue my hockey dreams.

"Being a girl, especially from modest backgrounds and small towns, it’s not easy. But he really went out of his way to ensure my hockey dream didn't suffer. He always motivated me to take up sports despite societal pressure. I thank Hockey India also for believing in me. I was just a 14-year-old playing hockey as an escape from the daily struggles. They saw the talent in me, picked me and turned me into this final product. I owe them also a lot."

Supported by her father, Rani enrolled at Shahabad Hockey Academy run by Dronacharya award-winning coach Baldev Singh in her hometown. Under his guidance, she honed her skills and, with the fire burning bright inside, picked up the craft at the rate of knots.

She made her senior team debut at 14 -- a record for the youngest Indian international (hockey) -- and in 2010 competed in a World Cup where she scored seven goals to catch international attention. Her performances, belying her age, saw FIH include her in 2010 Team of the Year.

A steely competitor but genial without the stick in hand, success has continued to follow the 25-year-old striker. From steering the country to two successive Olympics to winning a silver at the 2018 Asian Games, Rani now has become an inspirational figure for some of her team-mates and many junior girls.

Despite all the success, Rani's head is firmly on her shoulders. She has remained rooted and is focussed on breaking more barriers.

"The moment success starts getting to my head, I think of my childhood. The poverty, the struggles, the battle for good food etc, all that flashes in front of me. I immediately come back to earth. That’s how I am able to stay rooted and focussed. I’m just halfway in my journey and there’s plenty more to achieve," says Rani, displaying plenty of maturity.

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"We should never forget our roots and I always believe we should not go after materialistic pleasures. My parents keep reminding me of that. When your humble, people like you and that love around is what I like to see. We need to keep setting targets but even if we don’t achieve it, we shouldn’t get bogged down. Need to refocus ourselves for the next target. I’m just lucky that I was able to play for the country, win medals and captain the team. If my journey motivates girls from hinterlands to take up the sport, then nothing like it," adds the star striker.

Rani says her next target is to shine at the Tokyo Olympics and take the sport in the country to the next level. "We haven’t played hockey for 4-5 months now because of coronavirus, so the support staff in working very hard to help us get into good shape. The main target is to do well at the Olympics. Last time (2016) we qualified for the first time (second time actually), so there were jitters in the camp. Now we have qualified for the again and looking forward to it with great hope. Target is to reach the quarterfinals. Once we reach the quarterfinals it’s anybody’s game after that. If we do well at the Olympics, it'll give the sport a major fillip."