Battling hardships for a hockey player is not new in the country, but for midfielder Raj Kumar Pal representing India at the Paris Olympics and bettering the colour of the medal remains his top priority as it will not only bring smiles to the faces of his family but many aspiring players of his village.
Hundreds of boys from Karampur village with a population of about three thousand had the dream to represent India at the Olympics in hockey, but only Raj Kumar Pal, famous as ‘Ghazipur ke Raj Kumar’, has realised the dream to date and now wishes to fulfil every unfulfilled dreams of his friends and brothers in Paris.
The youngest of three brothers, Raj Kumar has become a source of inspiration for the children of his village who are learning the basics of hockey at the Meghbaran Stadium.
From Karampur, about 40 kilometres from Varanasi, to Paris, his journey has been an inspiring tale of determination and willpower.
Raj Kumar became the first player from his village Karampur and district Ghazipur to have worn the India senior jersey when he faced Belgium in Pro League matches in 2020.
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“In our family both my brothers also play hockey. The middle brother had been in the India camp and the elder brother had played at the national level. Both could not play for India and now one plays for Railways and one for Army,’‘ Raj Kumar told PTI.
The 26-year-old midfielder nurtured his passion for hockey with the help of his coach late Tej Bahadur Singh amid hardships and representing India at the biggest stage means the world to him.
“More than 400 boys from my village got jobs through hockey but no one played at this level. The people of my village are looking up to me and I will leave no stone unturned in Paris to fulfil the unfulfilled dreams of my brothers and all others.”
Raj Kumar, who started his hockey journey at the age of 10 from Karampur’s Meghbaran Stadium, played in the five-nation Under-23 tournament in Belgium in 2018 and made his India debut in 2020.
Raj Kumar’s father Kalpanath died in a road accident in 2011 but he kept his passion for the game alive with the help of his family and mentor late Tej Bahadur Singh.
Meghbaran Stadium was established in 1983 by the late Tej Bahadur Singh to provide employment to the youth of the village and improve their lives and Raj Kumar was one of them.
“Those two years were very difficult for the family and I thought that I would not be able to play anymore but my family did not give up. My coach helped me a lot. I could not get selected for the Tokyo Olympics but I worked hard without getting disappointed and now I am going to Paris,” Raj Kumar said.
“When I enter the field in Paris, I will remember all these sacrifices,” said the player, who has played 53 international caps so far.
“When I got the news of my selection in the Olympics-bound team, I cried remembering my past and missed my father a lot. When I called home, my mother also cried. I will never forget my past and it inspires me.”
Raj Kumar was a member of the Indian team that won bronze medals in the Asia Cup (Jakarta, 2022) and the Asian Champions Trophy (Dhaka, 2021) and is well-equipped to handle pressure in big tournaments.
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“I have played against big teams before as well, so there is not that much pressure. But since it is my first Olympics, I will be a little nervous, so I talk to senior players like PR Sreejesh, captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Manpreet Singh. They share their experiences and that helps a lot,” he said.
Raj Kumar is confident of doing well in the Olympics individually as well as in a team and does not want to get carried away by the glitz and glamour of the sporting extravaganza. “We are going with full preparation in every department of the game. We have worked on every small detail and have worked hard to improve the mistakes made in the Pro League. I have found out my mistakes by watching videos and have worked on them with the help of coaches and senior players,” said the midfielder, who considers Birendra Lakra and Sardar Singh as his role models.
“Our focus is only on our matches. There will be big stars in the Olympic Games Village but that glamour is not the focus right now. We just have to change the colour of the medal and make our village an Olympic medal winner’s village,” he added.
