Joining an elite list, Savita Punia prefers to focus on the road ahead

Since the first Padma award for sports in 1956, it’s been conferred on 222 people, some of them with multiple honours. Of all these, only six women’s hockey players have been found worthy of India’s highest civilian recognition. For someone who struggled without a job despite a decade-long career with the national team, Savita Punia, not surprisingly, is overwhelmed to be in this list.

“When I started playing, I never thought I would have such a long journey in hockey. This honour is more for my family, it’s a reward for everything they have done. Since we are in training for long periods, my father is the contact person for everything and when he called me at the camp and said, ‘my daughter, Padma Shri Savita Punia’ I could feel the emotion. I cannot explain that feeling, to hear it from him was something special, the happiness I see in their eyes,” Savita opened up to The Hindu.

“There were so many times when things were tough, there was a lot of struggle but he never let me give up. He was the rock behind my growth, my success. He made sure I lacked nothing despite financial stress. My grandfather learnt to read in old age because he wanted to find my name in the newspaper himself. When your family does so much, motivation is the one thing you don’t have to worry about,” the 35-year-old laughed.

Sharing an example of her family’s support, Savita revealed how she wanted to quit way back in 2011. “Transport was always a problem. That day, I was standing at the bus stop in Delhi to go home. I was not allowed to get on, everyone made fun of me and my kit and I didn’t know what to do. I called up my father and cried, saying I did not want to play any more.

“Indian society, specially in villages, is not very supportive of women in sports. Anyone else would have understood and moved on. Not my father. He declared travel would not be a reason for me to quit and bought a second-hand car. I have worked hard on the field but it’s their sacrifices that helped me give my best for the team and today it all feels worth it,” an emotional Savita said.

As the seniormost player in the Indian side, Savita understands the responsibility of guiding teammates, some of whom are half her age. But she insisted that the support goes both ways. “There is a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure. At this age, I have to focus on my performance and also on how to keep the team’s atmosphere good and make the youngsters play freely. But this generation is a lot more aware, responsible and mature. They are also more confident.

“During the Nations Cup recently, everyone was determined to win as much for the tournament itself as for me. It was heartening to see them say they had to win to make sure I received my Padma Shri with a happy mind.

“Everything has changed, for the better. When I made my debut in 2008, they gave me my official T-Shirt and it had ‘Sarita’ written on it. I was asked to simply correct it with tape. Playing for the country is every sportsperson’s dream and to get your debut jersey with the wrong name simply kills something inside you. Now it is properly planned, milestones celebrated, you feel valued. Selections, diet, recovery, supplements, it is all very professional now.”

The team is back to training for the World Cup and the Asian Games and Savita insisted that the morale was high. “After the Nations Cup everyone is confident, the body language has changed. USA and New Zealand were doing very well but we are aware of ourselves. We did well at the 2018 World Cup also but did not get the results we wanted. And winning the Asian Games means we will not only qualify for LA28 but also have almost two years to prepare. So we are aiming for that,” she signed off.