Savita Punia: When her happy face reflects her ever-confident heart; Source: Forbes India

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***“You’re a girl. how can you even expect us to allow you to play cricket?”***

***“You will be playing badminton in this uniform! The skirt is too short and your shirt is too tight.”***

***“You cannot run and jump like a wild man in front of others. What will people think?”***

These dialogues have indeed become a part of our lives. Though we talk about feminism and equality, our view of society is still very much orthodox. A woman playing cricket never appeals to us but a woman in a saree going to a temple will always make us proud of our culture. If this is where we are standing even today, it's time for us to to either close our eyes and ignore everything or change our mindset and start appreciating these changes.

If films like *Mary Kom* are not interesting enough, then how come *Kabir Singh* is a TikTok trend? It all starts within ourselves. The sooner we start accepting and appreciating women in every field, the better will be our society. Sports welcomes sportspersons and not sportsmen. If there are no defined gender rules in that imaginary sportsbook, then who are we to stop the sportswomen from entering the arena!

A 14-year-old girl was walking alone in those empty streets of Haryana. The two-hour journey from hostel to home with a 20kg hockey kit on her back never appealed to her. Maybe, she wanted to play with her friends in a park or go to a nearby movie hall, but why did she choose a path that was far from her comfort zone? Why did Savita Punia decide to make her country proud instead of enjoying her childhood? Perhaps there’s something more to her story.

Born in a small village of Haryana, Punia was never a sports enthusiast. She did not even allow her parents to put on the sports channel. Her grandfather, Ranjeet Punia was the person who inspired her to take up hockey as her career. Though she never understood the fascination that her grandfather had with hockey, she chose to follow his dream.

> Upon Ranjeet’s insistence, she took admission in Maharaja Agrasain’s Girl’s School in Sirsa that was famous for sports. Savita always wanted to go for judo and badminton, but perhaps her destiny had some other plans altogether.

When she started attending her school, practice sessions felt like a burden on her shoulder. Initially, she was given the role of a goalkeeper because of her height. Every time Savita came home, she would cry in front of her mother, and in turn, her mother would ask her father not to send her back to the institution. Nothing could stop him from sticking firmly to his decision. Later on, Punia’s cousin also went to the same school to give her moral support.

One day, Savita’s coach recommended she keep on playing as a goalkeeper as this would ultimately increase her chance to make it into the Indian team. After hearing this, Punia’s father brought her a Rakshak kit worth 18,000 rupees without asking her. This was the moment when she finally realised the dream that her father saw for her.

It was in 2007 when Punia qualified for the national team and started training under the guidance of a top goalkeeper. In 2008, she made her very first international tour that was a four-nation event in Netherlands and Germany. The very next year, she made her presence known in the Junior Asia Cup. After acing in the Junior Asia Cup, Punia made her senior international debut in the year 2011.

From here started her journey to the bigger shots of hockey. In 2013, she stepped in the Eighth Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia, saved two important penalty shoot-outs, and made the way for India to win a bronze medal. Yet again in 2014, Savita participated in Incheon Asian Games.

With every passing year, Punia had a beautiful success story to share with the other aspiring players. Goalkeeping being her first ladder to enter the world of hockey, never disappointed her. 

> She was also awarded the Baljit Singh Goalkeeper of the Year award. Apart from this, Savita Punia was also awarded the most prestigious sports award, the Arjuna Award in 2018.

![Savita Punia receiving Arjuna Award; Source: Wikimedia Commons](/uploads/Savita_Punia_receiving_Arjuna_Award_for_Hockey_in_2018_50e39336e6.jpeg)

Currently, she is the Captain of the Women’s Hockey Team and that would be participating in the 2021 Olympics. 

> With a proud smile on her face, she says, “*I’m expecting a big performance from my team. All the 25 girls in the core probable group had been working hard. With one more year to prepare, I am confident that we will be able to perform the way we would like to. Our goal will be to go for the podium.*”

Every field has challenges. Every challenge becomes double when a girl enters the arena. A little bit of support from the family is all she needs to venture into the challenging waters. Savita Punia, a girl from the small streets of Haryana too received this support and today she stands in a position where she never expected to be.