Helplessness of the Indian female player who won the country ‘Gold’ by taking loan, forced to sell vegetables; CM Hemant Soren ordered immediate help

The land of Jharkhand has given the country many unique sports talents, who have hoisted the tricolor on national and international platforms. But from this very soil, such a bitter and shocking truth has emerged, which has stunned the entire sports world and administrative system. A female player, who won a gold medal for the country in an international competition on the strength of her hard work, dedication and passion, is craving every penny today. The player who had brought glory to India on foreign soil by taking his hard-earned money and huge loans, today the same player has been forced to sell vegetables on the roadside to feed himself and his family and to pay off the debts of moneylenders. This case not only exposes the neglect of our system towards the players, but also shows how the country’s talents get lost in the darkness of oblivion due to lack of encouragement at the right time.

The journey of this international winning player has never been easy. Born in a very poor and ordinary family, this athlete sweated in the playground since childhood. When the opportunity came to represent the country at the international level, a severe lack of financial resources came in the way. As time passed while waiting for government help and sponsorship, the player did not let his sporting dream be shattered. To keep his passion alive and win a medal for India, he took loans at huge interest rates from neighbours, relatives and local moneylenders. With this amount he covered his training, sports kit, diet and travel expenses. When she came on the field, she gave her whole life and performed brilliantly and won the ‘Gold Medal’ for the country. But the reality after returning home after winning the medal proved to be like a nightmare. As soon as the noise of drums and initial applause subsided, Khiladi was left standing alone amidst the bitter truth of her same old broken house and huge debt.

After winning the medal, it was expected that the state government, sports department or some corporate house would support this promising athlete. She thought that she would get a permanent job or financial incentive, which would enable her to repay her loan and continue further training. But time passed and nothing came except assurances. The pressure from the borrowers was continuously increasing and the interest amount was becoming huge day by day. It became difficult to fulfill the basic needs of daily life and arrange food for two meals a day. Ultimately, seeing no other option, this talented player kept his medal aside and started sitting on the market tracks with a basket filled with vegetables. The few rupees earned by selling vegetables from morning till evening somehow help the family survive and try to repay the loan installment. This daughter, who raised the head of India in the playground, is today forced to wait for the customers.

As soon as this sad and shocking news became public through media and social media, there was panic in the state administration. Seeing the sensitivity and seriousness of the matter, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren immediately took strict cognizance of it. Without wasting any time, Chief Minister Soren issued instructions to the state sports department to investigate the entire matter with immediate effect and provide all possible assistance to the players. He clearly told the officials that this plight of the players who have brought glory to the state will not be tolerated at any cost. After this strong stance of the Chief Minister, the team of Sports Department and local administration immediately came into action and reached the house of the player concerned and took stock of his financial condition and problems.

After the direct intervention of the Chief Minister, there is hope that this victim athlete will soon get proper compensation, freedom from outstanding debt and employment opportunity for a secure future. However, this incident gives rise to a bigger and policy question. The direct recruitment policy and incentives for players in Jharkhand look very attractive on paper, but why are they not implemented on time at the ground level? If a player has to mortgage his land or take a loan to represent the country on the international stage, then it is the biggest failure of our sports system. Sports lovers and local citizens are demanding that the government should prepare such a transparent and prompt structure so that poor athletes coming from remote rural areas can get direct financial assistance and coaching facilities on time, so that no ‘gold medalist’ has to sell vegetables after bringing glory to the country.