When hunger stares, food, not football, become the goal to pursue, though the latter may bring in international recognition.
Despite realising this early in life, Sangita Kumari, a 20-year old tribal footballer from Dhanbad who represented both the state and the country, was still trying to strike a balance between the two, unsure if she could reach the goal.
“The lockdown has pushed us to a no-income-no-food situation but I’m still practising at Birsa Munda Stadium near Memka More,” Sangita said on Sunday, adding she pedals to and from the stadium that is “at least 7km away from my village (Bansmuri near Bhuli)”.
Sangita Soren practices at Birsa Munda Stadium at Dhanbad
“No tournament is held now but I’m hopeful playing at nationals again once the things get right,” she sounded confident though added the worries of how to survive keep haunting her.
“I joined my mother who worked in a near-by brick kiln but that is also closed now and unlikely to reopen as monsoon would set in soon,” Sangita said, adding she had to seek a job as her father, Dube Soren, sits at home because he has partial visual and also hearing impairment and her brother who is a daily-wager also did not get any job.
“I worked at the brick kiln for over three months,” said the young footballer who represented India in Under-18 SAFF (South Asia Football Federation) women’s championship in Bhutan in 2018 and also Under-19 in Thailand the same year, besides representing Jharkhand in senior women’s national championship in Cuttack (Odisha) and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh).
Social activist Dev Kumar donate grain food to the Sangita Soren at Bansmuri village on Saturday
After clearing school final examinations from a Bhuli school, Sangita did her intermediate from SSNLT College in Dhanbad, she informed when asked about her education.
“No, I have to arrange even a sports shoe on my own,” she replied when asked about any help was being offered to her, adding that “the district administration gave Rs 10,000 and some ration during the lockdown last year”.
“I heard about some initiatives but none approached us till now except our MLA Mathura Mahto who met us yesterday (Saturday) and gave some help,” Sangita informed when asked if any help reached them this time.
Sangita Soren shows her medals iat her home on Sunday
“We also reached around the same time when the MLA went there and gave the family about a month’s ration,” said Dev Kumar Verma who is associated with the Pathshala Foundation that offers free education to children, mostly of slum dwellers and assured they would do more.
“Since Sangita wants to remain associated with football we will also try if we can arrange her training at an institution that will help her become a sports teacher later,” he further said, adding they would also try to accommodate her in a suitable capacity at the sports academy run by the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society in Ranchi.
Such helps as offered by the MLA and Verma may assure Sangita and her family of food for some days but they need a steady source of income so that she can also pursue her passion for football and enhance the skill.
Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for sports and youth affairs, meanwhile assured financial help would be given to Sangita.
In a tweet later in the day, the minister said that he was "informed about Sangita Soren (Kumari) who represented India in international competitions and is in a financial crisis in this pandemic".
“Financial help will be extended soon,” Rijiju assured in his tweet, adding “ensuring dignified life for athletes is our priority”.
Former Bahragora MLA Kunal Sarangi, in his tweet two days ago, had drawn Rijiju’s attention towards Sangita’s plight, saying “Lockdown has damaged her financially”.
