India’s Men hockey team will play its first fixture on July 27 against New Zealand. And in Hockey, few out of the hundreds make it to the top and 'Ghazipur ke Raj Kumar' is top choice for Men’s Hockey team at Paris Games.
For midfielder Raj Kumar Pal representing India at the Paris Olympics and bettering the colour of the medal remains his top priority as it will not only bring smiles on the faces of his family but many aspiring players of his village.
Hundreds of boys from Karampur village with a population of about three thousand had the dream to represent India at the Olympics in hockey, but only Raj Kumar Pal, famous as 'Ghazipur ke Raj Kumar', has realised the dream till date and now wishes to fulfil every unfulfilled dreams of his friends and brothers in Paris.
Battling hardships for a hockey player is not new in the country and Raj Kumar became the first player from his village Karampur and district Ghazipur to have worn the India senior jersey when he faced Belgium in Pro League matches in 2020.
The youngest of three brothers, Pal said, “In our family both my brothers also play hockey. The middle brother had been in the India camp and the elder brother has played at the national level. Both could not play for India and now one plays for Railways and one for Army.”
From Karampur, about 40 kms from Varanasi, to Paris his journey has been an inspiring tale of determination and will power. The 26-year-old midfielder nurtured his passion for hockey with the help of his coach late Tej Bahadur Singh amid hardships and representing India at the biggest stage means the world to him.
He started his hockey journey at the age of 10 from Karampur's Meghbaran Stadium, played in the five-nation Under-23 tournament in Belgium in 2018, and made his India debut in 2020. His debut made him the first player from his village Karampur and district Ghazipur to have worn the India senior jersey.
“More than 400 boys from my village got jobs through hockey but no one played at this level. The people of my village are looking up to me and I will leave no stone unturned in Paris to fulfil the unfulfilled dreams of my brothers and all others,” said, Pal.
Raj who practiced at Meghbaran stadium was established in 1983 by late Tej Bahadur Singh, who mentored him for the games after his father died in 2011.
"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.
My coach helped me a lot. I could not get selected for the Tokyo Olympics but I worked hard without getting disappointed and now I am going to Paris," Raj Kumar mentioned.
"When I enter the field in Paris, I will remember all these sacrifices," said the player, who has played 53 international caps so far.
He was a member of the Indian team that won bronze medals in the Asia Cup (Jakarta, 2022) and Asian Champions Trophy (Dhaka, 2021) and is well-equipped to handle pressure in big tournaments.
"I have played against big teams before as well, so there is not that much pressure. But since it is my first Olympics, there will be little nervousness, so I talked to senior players like PR Sreejesh, captain Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh. Their experiences helps a lot," he said.
Kumar is confident of doing well in the Olympics individually as well as a team and does not want to get carried away by the glitz and glamour of the sporting extravaganza. He considers Birendra Lakra and Sardar Singh as his role models.
"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," said the midfielder.
He further added, "Our focus is only on our matches. There will be big stars in the Olympic Games Village but that glamour is not the focus right now.
We just have to change the colour of the medal and make our village an Olympic medal winner's village," he added.
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