in favour of watching her play in a skirt, but they eventually gave in after she continuously pleaded with them.
Sharing her training schedule, the 26-year-old noted that her mother would look at the sky to check if it was time to wake her for training, which would start early, since they did not have a clock at home. “At the academy, it was mandatory for each player to bring 500 ml of milk. My family could only afford milk worth 200 ml; so I’d mix the milk with water and drink it,” she added. Subsequently, Rampal’s coach not only helped her with her dietary needs, but also bought her hockey kits and shoes.
“I wouldn’t miss a single day of practice. I remember I won Rs 500 at a tournament and gave the money to Papa. He hadn’t ever held so much money in his hands,” she said. “I promised my family, ‘One day, we’ll have our own home’; I did everything in my power to work towards that.” Over time, Rampal’s father encouraged her as a proud parent, which empowered her to become the skipper of the Indian hockey team. Four years ago, she was able to fulfil her dream of buying a home for her family. “We cried and held each other tightly!” she recalled.
