At a time when vaccine hesitancy in rural areas remains a concern in Jharkhand’s hinterlands, sportspersons hailing from rural pockets in the state are increasingly turning up at vaccination centres to take Covid-19 jabs to encourage others.

Several players are also creating awareness in their localities to motivate villagers in their hamlet for vaccination.

International archer and silver medalist in 2018 Asian Games, Madhumita Kumari, who hails from rural Silli block of Ranchi on Friday conducted an awareness drive along with others visiting different localities on foot, after taking her first dose.

“Vaccination is the best way to help governments tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. As a player, I want this pandemic to end at the earliest so that we can return back to our game like earlier days. I am sure others too are equally eager and praying for the pandemic to end. Hence, as a responsible citizen, I thought of encouraging others in Silli to take vaccines without fail. We visited different localities to conduct door to door awareness drives,” she said, adding that it was their way to contribute to the state government’s fight against the pandemic.

Simdega wrestling association vice president Balvir Prasad gets vaccinated on Friday. The Telegraph picture

In Simdega, considered the cradle of hockey, over two dozen national and international hockey players took the jabs at different locations in the last few days. Former national hockey player Subhila Minz said that after taking jabs three days back, she managed to successfully convince 20 others too, who received their doses at Karanguri panchayat bhavan in the last two days. The head of Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Hockey club in Rengartoli in Simdega, Jaynandan Manjhi and his team motivated 10 people of Gond community for vaccination on Friday.

Manoj Konbegi, general secretary of Hockey Simdega said that they are regularly conducting awareness drives in different hockey and centres of other sports in the district to sensitise players to take the vaccine at the earliest.

“Unlike urban pockets, word of mouth and person to person publicity plays a key role as a medium of mass communication to create awareness. Therefore, the sports fraternity here is ensuring that all their cadets, both present and past players, are fully vaccinated at the earliest possible. This in turn will automatically encourage their families, neighbours among others in their localities and peer groups to take the vaccine. On an average, our players, and coaches are making at least 10-15 people outside the sports fraternity get the vaccines. While the district administration is conducting different modes of awareness drives to thwart misconceptions regarding vaccines, we too are trying to contribute as a team spirit,” he said.