All the great sports per sonalities India, or even the world for that matter, have had to battle adversities, some financial, others physical, some political and some others everything you can imagine.
Etimarpu Rajini of Chittoor and Yendala Soundarya of Nizamabad are two young hockey players who have come up the hard way . Of course, these two girls from the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh are not yet among the greats, but that does not pale their achievements so far. Recently, the two played vital roles as India clinched the silver medal at the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, losing to Japan 0-1 in the final.
Rajini, the 23-year-old goalkeeper, who won the best goalkeeper of the tournament award at the event, is from an “ordinary family“ -the term she uses to define one which does not have a strong financial footing.
Born in Chittoor, to a carpenter and a homemaker, and a former student of a government school, Rajini could have grown to become just like most of her former classmates -an “ordinary girl“ battling to make the ends meet. However, that was not to be. She chose, and fought, to become one of the best woman goalkeepers Indian hockey now possesses. Unfortunately, as is the case with most sports in India, she may still be at a disadvantage financially; however, by deeds she is wealthy .
“When I started playing hockey, everybody in my village used to ask my parents 'why are you letting a girl do all this?' But my parents did not listen to any of them. They supported me and helped me grow. This was despite knowing almost nothing about hockey,“ said Rajini, whose two sisters are married while her younger brother is pursuing his graduation. “Gradually, when I started winning tournaments, and got the national call-up, everybody in my village realised that I am doing something for the country .
Now, they all support me in my endeavour,“ she added.
Rajini first stepped into the muddy hockey ground of her school after being persuaded by her then physical educational trainer, Venkatraja. “He told me I could be a good hockey player.
He encouraged me to take the sport seriously. Gradually, my interest in the sport grew,“ Rajini said.
Soundarya's story also follows a similar script. Daughter of a daily-wager, Soundarya, too, had to cross many hurdles. And like Rajini, her relationship with the hockey stick, started after being encouraged by her school PET, Subba Rao and then by her first coach Maqbool Ahmed.
“Initially, people used to ask, “Ladki hai, kya karoge? (You are a girl, what will you achieve).
But I was determined and I worked hard. Now everybody, encourages and supports me,“ said Soundarya.
Though their mach-day targets are very different -while Rajini guards the Indian post, Soundarya dribbles through the opposition defence in search of goals -the two, who now train under Gloria Jesudoss at Sports Authority of India, have the same aim: to help India win gold in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
“We don't have any tournaments coming up. But the camp for the Asian Games will start soon. It is my dream to win gold for India at the Games. I will put all my efforts to fulfill that,“ said Soundarya. Rajini added: “The Asian Games and the Commonwealth are the target. I want to win them for India.“