Born in Sundargarh district, the hotbed of hockey in India, he used to eat, drink and breathe the game. Like many others he too had a dream to represent the nation. But fate had other ideas and he ended up becoming a headmaster in a local UP School. However, that couldn’t kill his dreams and he managed to relive them by creating a pool of talents many of whom have already played at national and international levels.
Meet teacher Rajendra Kumar Kujur who is fulfilling his dreams by making many tribal girls play hockey at top level. So much so, that documentary film The Mountain Hockey has been made on his resolves and love for the game. Interestingly, it is the first Odia documentary film to be streamed on Disney Hotstar Plus last week. Needless to say, the short film is garnering good viewership after its release. The film is not merely about sticks and a ball. It speaks the resilience of a hockey coach and his determination to make his dream a reality through a bunch of raw talents.
Picking up the poor tribal girls from remote areas of Sundargar and making them shine at highest level was like a dream come true him, says the headmaster of Amlikhaman Mission UP School.
His protégés Gayatri Kisan, Mary Kandulna, Abhinashi Mukti Suren, Samira Lakhda have made Odisha proud by playing national and international hockey series.
On what made him drawn towards hockey, Kujur says, “Sundargarh is known as the hotbed of hockey in India. The district has produced many players who made it to the national hockey team. From a very young age, I have seen my father and siblings playing hockey. So, quite naturally I was drawn towards the sport. I belong to Rangiadhipa block of Sundargarh district. Much like others, my day too started with playing hockey. It was my favourite pastime after school hours. The ambience is such that children here cannot think of anything other than hockey. I always wanted to become a member of Team A, stay in sports hostel and play for my nation. But my father had other ideas.”
He continues: “When I was in Class VI, Silverstar Topo, an eminent sports personality from Panposh Sports Hostel visited different schools of Rourkela to scout fresh talents. He picked up 13 students to groom them as future hockey players. I was among the top two in his list. He wanted us to train at National Sports Training Centre in Punjab. However, my father did not allow me to travel to Punjab. He was under the impression that – Kheloge Kudoge Hoge Kharap, Padhoge Likhoge Hoge Nabab and believed that there was no future in playing hockey. Therefore, my dreams remain unfulfilled.”
Recalling another fondest memory he says, “I was also chosen to get training under Sundargarh Sports Hostel. When I expressed my desire to live in sports hostel, my father didn’t approve. I even played hockey at college level and went on to represent the university team. But unfortunately, I was not picked up for the playing eleven because by then I had started training to become ‘Father’ in a catholic church. After that my dream to play for the nation came to an end. While playing for Northen Star club, Sambalpur we won 22 consecutive matches in a span of two years but it carried no meaning to me. In the meantime I became the ‘Father’ of a catholic church and was posted in Amlikhaman in 2008-09.”
On reliving his dreams, Kujur says, “When I moved to Amlikhaman, I noticed girls were very good at hockey there but they lacked proper training. They didn’t even have proper sticks to play. I tried to plug the holes and make them confident about the game. As I failed to fulfill my dreams I wanted to relive them through these girls. Initially, I started training 20 students and the number rose to 200 in no time. It is like fulfilling my dreams.”
“I had never thought that a documentary would be made on my struggle and whatever little I have achieved. I considered it to be a great honour for me”, adds a proud Kujur.
Film’s producer Subharajit Pradhan says, “The idea of making a documentary was conceived after 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup which was held in Bhubaneswar. Rajendra motivated us to highlight the achievements of the tribal girls and the hard work they put in to make it to the national team. Having him to train the tribal girls in a remote village for 10 years against all odds is really a matter of pride for us.”
Rashmi Rekha Das, OP