AI Generated Summary
- At a time when most of Ludhiana is still asleep, the hockey ground at the School of Eminence, Mundian Kalan, is already alive with the sound of sticks striking balls and coaches calling out instructions.
- Radha is another player to have made the step from the school ground to the national stage, representing Punjab at the 69th School National Games.
- Ashmita, a Class XII non-medical student whose father also works in a factory, has represented the state while maintaining a strong academic record.
At a time when most of Ludhiana is still asleep, the hockey ground at the School of Eminence, Mundian Kalan, is already alive with the sound of sticks striking balls and coaches calling out instructions.
Every morning at 5, around 80 girls take to the field for a rigorous two-hour practice session before heading to their classrooms. Their day on the turf does not end there. Once classes are over, they return for another round of training, practising until 7 pm.
Behind this demanding routine are stories of determination that stretch well beyond the hockey field. A large number of the players come from families of factory workers, vendors, delivery personnel and auto-rickshaw drivers. Nearly 70 per cent of the girls belong to financially constrained households, but that has done little to diminish their sporting ambitions.
Jasmine Kaur, who represented Punjab at the 69th School National Games in Jharkhand, is among those hoping to take her game much further. Her father works as a delivery man.
“My father works as a delivery man, but he has never stopped me from playing. I want to represent the country at the global stage one day,” she said.
For Gulshandeep Kaur, who represented Punjab at the 68th School National Games, hockey has meant pursuing a sporting dream despite limited resources at home. Her father drives an auto-rickshaw, while she spends hours each day sharpening her skills on the field.
Their achievements are part of a larger sporting culture taking shape at the school. More than 50 girls from the institution have competed in state championships, while six have gone on to represent Punjab at the School National Games.
For many, success on the turf has come alongside equally demanding academic schedules.
Class IX student Anjali, whose father is a vendor, has already competed in the state championship three times. She balances her studies with the discipline of reporting to the ground early each morning.
Shivani, a Class X student and daughter of a factory worker, played in the 2023 state championship. Others have shown that sporting commitments need not come at the expense of academics.
Ashmita, a Class XII non-medical student whose father also works in a factory, has represented the state while maintaining a strong academic record. She scored 86 per cent in Class XI.
Kirandeep Kaur has done even better academically. The humanities student, who has competed at the state level in hockey, secured 95 per cent marks in Class XI.
Radha is another player to have made the step from the school ground to the national stage, representing Punjab at the 69th School National Games.
Under the guidance of coaches, including MP Singh, the girls are being trained to progress through district and state competitions and earn opportunities at higher levels.
What is unfolding at Mundian Kalan, however, is about more than medals or statistics. For girls growing up in households where finances are often stretched, continuing with competitive sport itself demands considerable commitment — both from the players and their families.
Their mornings begin before sunrise and their evenings end on the hockey field. In between come classes, homework and the everyday pressures of home.
Yet, day after day, they return to the turf.
For these young players, the circumstances in which their journeys began may have shaped the challenges they face, but they are determined not to let those circumstances decide where their journeys end.
