When women take centre stage in the HIL: meet the agents of change in Sundargarh

Jyoti Chhatri’s house, a tiny two-room set topped with an asbestos roof, on the edge of river Brahmani is separated from the State-government-run Panposh Sports Hostel (PSH) by a 10-foot wide road. But it took Jyoti, who was inspired by her elder brother Suraj (once a junior player), four years and a few 100km trips to district headquarters Sundargarh for selection trials to get into the hostel — a famous breeding ground of internationals and Olympians.

Jyoti, hailing from the semi-rural Panposh area on the fringes of Steel City Rourkela, put in some more years and a stint at the Bhubaneswar-based Naval Tata Academy (NTA) before she could play at the iconic Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium (BMHS), situated three kilometres from her home, in India colours and then in first-ever women’s Hockey India League (HIL) champion Odisha Warriors’ uniform.

Wholehearted support

Sunelita Toppo’s family lives on the campus of the beautiful Krus Vijay Catholic Church at Bihabandh, about 37km away from the BMHS and 16km off the Rourkela-Sambalpur Expressway. When Sunelita, who took to hockey after seeing her maternal aunt (international Anupa Barla) in action, broke the news of her selection at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre, Sundargarh, her family extended its wholehearted support.

The teenager has made her family proud by becoming an international and one of the costliest players, picked for ₹24 lakh by Delhi SG Pipers, in the women’s HIL.

Anjali Barwa — from Dhaurana Tana Toli village, two km further away from the Bihabandh church — looked up to her aunt, international Lilima Minz, and decided to follow in her footsteps. Despite financial constraints, her family firmly backed her as she got into the PSH and the NTA. Now, they are thrilled to see Anjali shine in National and Odisha Warriors jerseys.

Jyoti, Sunelita and Anjali are among the 22 players, including seven women, from the tribal-dominated Sundargarh district to feature in the HIL. Like solid case studies, their stories speak of the local populace and their inseparable association with the sport.

A journey through the hinterland of the district exposes one to the restful countryside and rustic churches as well as the random ‘chatfields’ (bald uncultivated land) that stage intense hockey matches with a ‘khasi’ (goat) or ‘kukuda’ (chicken) as trophies.

For the underprivileged tribal people of the area, which is known as the cradle of hockey in Odisha, the sport — introduced by missionaries in the latter half of the 19th century — has been a tool to lift their standard of living, enabling them secure jobs through the sports quota. The HIL has provided a further boost to the household economy of a select few.

After spending 33 years in Panposh, 21-year-old Jyoti’s father Bhim, a daily wager with roots in Darjeeling and Ranchi and married to a tribal woman (Seema) from Jharkhand, is pleased that the days of his family’s financial struggle are over.

“We are short of nothing, Jyoti fulfils every need. We have only one tension — this house will be demolished to make way for a bridge. We hear land has been allotted to us, but there is no concrete order,” said Bhim.

The pride his daughter brings to the family is a special incentive. “Hockey players have emerged from all parts of Sundargarh, but there were none from Rourkela. I tell Jyoti to make Rourkela proud. When she played at the stadium during the FIH Pro League, we went with our neighbours to watch. We want our girl to compete in the Olympics.”

Moment to cherish

Playing in the HIL was a moment to cherish for 21-year-old midfielder Jyoti. “My family was here, playing here was a privilege and a confidence booster. HIL will inspire the youngsters of the area to emulate us,” said Jyoti, a Hockey5s World Cup silver medallist and junior Asia Cup gold medallist.

Sunelita’s family hails from Kukuda village, known for producing plenty of hockey players. When her father Suresh got the job of a record keeper in the nearby Bihabandh church, he chose to shift to the staff quarters, a one-room set from a row of rooms built for the staffers on its campus embellished with colourful flowers and a variety of seasonal vegetables.

Suresh arranged ₹5,000 to hire four SUVs and transported 35 relatives to watch Sunelita, a gold medallist in the Asian Champions Trophy and junior Asia Cup, in action when women’s HIL matches were held at the BMHS.

“I couldn’t say ‘no’ when everybody wanted to see my daughter’s game,” said Suresh.

Sunelita, a 17-year-old forward, was delighted. “I wanted to play well before them. There was no pressure…The HIL gives us an opportunity to learn from the experienced Indian and foreign players.”

Her mother Nelisunita walked down memory lane. “When Sunelita was six or seven years old, Anupa played at a Kisan Mela here. I told Sunelita, ‘You can also play like your aunt.’ Possibly, it made an impact on her…We supported her all through,” says Nelisunita, wiping tears of joy.

Foreseeing a good life, Suresh spoke about his family’s aspirations following his daughter’s success.

“Never thought she would play for the National team at such a big stadium and she would get such a good price [at HIL]…She will be the first in the family to get a government job. We have lots of dreams, including building a house,” said Suresh.

Even though Anjali’s father Dilip, a driver by profession, was not able to see his daughter’s exploits in the HIL because of a prior engagement, her mother Luisa travelled by a bus through the afternoon to reach the BMHS with her other two kids.

“Anjali is not tall, so we never thought she would come this far. This is the first time we saw her playing here,” said Luisa.

Wearing an ear-to-ear smile, Anjali, a junior Asia Cup gold medallist, valued her participation in the HIL. “I used to sit in the stands and watch others play. Today people are watching me play on the same ground. This is the highest level of hockey I have participated in. I want to establish myself in the senior Indian team,” said Anjali, a 19-year-old defender.

Igniting ambitions

While Anjali aspired to excel in her career, Luisa dreamt of building a decent house with a concrete roof.

“Hockey has turned around the lives of many players and their families in this area. Now, the HIL has helped them dream bigger,” said Rourkela-based independent journalist and sports events organiser Susanta Behera.

Truly, in addition to showering stardom, the women’s HIL, in its year of inception, has projected the youngsters as agents of change for their families and is likely to ignite ambitions of other up-and-coming players from the tribal belt in forthcoming seasons.