2024-08-04 14:06:37
New Delhi: Hundreds of boys from Karampur village, which has a population of about three thousand, dreamt of playing in the Olympics by holding a hockey stick, but only Rajkumar Pal got the chance to fulfill it. The midfielder, famous as ‘Ghazipur ke Rajkumar’, wishes to fulfill every unfulfilled dream by performing well in Paris. Rajkumar has become a source of inspiration for the children learning the basics of hockey at the Meghbaran Stadium in Karampur village of Ghazipur, about 40 kilometers from Varanasi. A village from where more than 400 boys got employment through hockey, but did not get a chance to represent India. These include Rajkumar’s two brothers Jokhan and Raju who could not play for the country.
Rajkumar said in an interview to Bhasha before leaving for his first Olympics, “All three of us brothers play hockey. The middle brother has been in the Indian team camp and the elder brother has played at the national level. Both could not play for India and now one plays for the railways and the other for the army.” This 26-year-old midfielder, who nurtured his passion for hockey with the help of his coach Tej Bahadur Singh amid hardships, said, “More than 400 boys from my village got jobs through hockey, but no one played at this level. The people of my village have their eyes on me and I will leave no stone unturned in Paris to fulfill the unfulfilled dreams of my brothers and all 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. I could not get selected for the Tokyo Olympics, but without getting disappointed, I worked hard and now I am going to Paris. When I enter the field in Paris, I will remember all these sacrifices. When I got the news of my selection in the Olympic team, remembering my past, I cried and missed my father a lot. When I called home, my mother also cried. I never forget my past and I get inspiration from it.
Rajkumar Pal from PTI
Rajkumar, who started his hockey journey at the age of 10 from Meghbaran Stadium in Karampur, played in the five-nation Under-23 tournament in Belgium in 2018 and made his debut in the Indian team in 2020. Rajkumar, who has played 53 international matches so far, his father Kalpanath died in a road accident in 2011. Rajkumar, a member of the Indian team that won bronze medals in the Asia Cup (Jakarta 2022) and Asian Champions Trophy (Dhaka 2021), said that he is not feeling any pressure of playing his first Olympics.
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He said, ‘I have played against big teams before, so there is not much pressure, but since it is my first Olympics, I get a little nervous, so I talk to senior players like PR Sreejesh, captain Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh. These people help a lot.’ This player, who considers Birendra Lakra and Sardar Singh as his idols, said, ‘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.’