Hesal a Tribal Village : Home to Hockey (Women) Players for Decades

Hesal a Tribal Village : Home to Hockey (Women) Players 

for Decades

Hesal is a small, remote tribal village in Jharkhand state of India. Nestled in sprawling paddy fields, it is roughly 50 km from Ranchi in Khunti district. This area is  infested by left-wing extremists .

Image courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

But this small village of 50 homes has big achievement to its credit. Undeterred by the extremists threat,  every girl of the hardscrabble huts of the village aspire to play for India.

Hesal is to Jharkhand what Mokhra Khas is for Haryana. While Mokhra Khas is a village of wrestlers, Hesal a village of hockey players.

This nondescript village has the distinction of producing around 20 international women players including an Olympian Nikki Pradhan who represented India in Rio 2016 in women's hockey team.

Image courtesy : youtube

For thousands all over the country, sports has unfolded huge opportunities for overcoming life's unkind miseries. It has become a vehicle for a better future, a transmitter of dreams. Hesal has found hope in hockey and Nikki Pradhan who became the first woman to represent Jharkhand on the world's biggest stage breaking gender barriers, has been the source of inspiration for all the aspiring women hockey players.

Hockey runs in the blood of of this village. Where farming is the main occupation hockey sticks are found in every hamlet. Hockey serves as the only source of entertainment for them.

Lack of infrastructure is a persistent irritant but this does not dampen their spirits. Hesal does not have even a playing field of its own. But enthusiasm does not evaporate as there is hope and determination to become like "Nikki Didi" and play for India.