Your background does not affect success, passion does: Rani Rampal

In the first episode of Tecno Phantom V Flip 5G presents ‘Women Pioneers of India’ in association with Republic, the focus is on former captain of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team Rani Rampal. Having become the youngest player in the national women’s hockey team at 15 when she played in the 2010 World Cup, Rampal has made a place for herself in the global hockey arena. The episode looks at her journey to becoming a pioneer in the space of women’s hockey and listens to her version of the story.

Rampal, who hails from Shahbad, Haryana and is a symbol of India’s prowess in the world of hockey, reveals that if she had not been a hockey player, she would have been married off at the age of 20. “It was difficult, but a good journey. There have been many good moments and I have learnt a lot that continues to stay with me,” she said, adding that her father was a cart-puller and that neither of her parents were educated. “They were both very concerned about societal opinions, and the society did question them a lot on letting their daughter play, especially in an attire that consisted of shirts and shorts. Hence, the biggest challenge for me was convincing my parents and building that trust, but then my father stood by me against everyone,” she asserted.

Sharing a heart-touching anecdote of how her mother used to look at the sky through the night to attempt to calculate the time so that Rampal could reach the academy in time for practice at 5 a.m., Rampal said, “I remember my school held a writing competition and the first prize was an alarm clock. I practised for it and ultimately won that clock, which at that point was just like a medal for me. I always learnt growing up that your background does not matter, but your passion and hard work does.”

She also talks about the toughest time of her career. Rampal sustained a back injury when her career was in a very nascent stage and she had gone to the Junior Camp for the first time in 2005. “I thought my career ended before it even began and that I would never be able to play hockey again. I was unable to sit, lie down, or sleep. I also did not have any medical facilities to get good treatment. But my coach pushed me a lot, and he told me to decide whether I wanted to play hockey or not. He told me that if I wanted to continue, they would help me, but they couldn’t help if I didn’t. I used to feel pressured and cry every day, but that made me very tough mentally,” she shared.