From getting a goat as trophy in her village to bagging medals and cash prizes, the fledgling career of junior India hockey goalkeeper Bigan Soy has a lot of grind and toil before she could secure her spot at the highest level.
Beginning her tryst with hockey as any other tribal girl or boy at Bandgao in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district as a 12-year-old, Soy's first tasted victory when she won a local 'Khashi' tournament (a goat for the winning team) before she elevated to bigger meets.
"During picnics we all had it," Soy said sheepishly when asked whether she participated in the feast after winning the 'Khashi' tournaments -- traditionally a popular one in villages, and many national and international players rose playing those tournaments.
"I began playing with a bamboo stick, played Khashi tournaments, won a couple of goats before being selected for hockey training and got admitted to Bariatu School, Ranchi," the BA student recalled after being felicitated here today for her stupendous show in the Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany.
"I am extremely happy as I never expected that such a felicitation was awaiting me when I used to play with bamboo sticks," Soy said after Jharkhand government gave her Rs 5 lakh on Friday and Hockey Jharkhand rewarding her with Rs 51,000 today for helping India win the bronze medal in the Women's Junior World Cup.
