The apex body for the national sport Hockey India on Monday pitched Jharkhand's Samurai Tete, former Team India skipper, for the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award 2016.
If the sports ministry accepts the nomination for the 38-year-old Simdega-born midfielder under whose captaincy Indian eves clinched Commonwealth Games hockey silver at Melbourne in 2006, Samurai would become the first woman from the state to win the prestigious national award.
So far, only cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, recurve archer Deepika Kumari, footballer Deepak Kumar Mondal and hockey player Sylvanus Dungdung from the state have bagged national sports awards. Dhoni won the Padma Shri in 2009, Deepika and Deepak the Arjuna in 2012 and 2010 and Dungdung the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award last year for 2015.
Samurai, an office superintendent at Hatia station under South Eastern Railway, could not believe her ears when this correspondent told her about the nomination.
"I have been applying for the last few years for this award. I cannot believe that the national federation has accepted my application this year. I am confident that the sports ministry selection panel would consider my achievements," said Tete, who played for the country between 1995 and 2006 and coached the team between 2011 and 2014.
Dungdung, 69, team member of the 1980 Olympic gold medal winning Indian hockey men's team, said Samurai's nomination was a proud moment for Jharkhand sports fraternity, especially in hockey.
"If Samurai's nomination is accepted, it would be the first such occasion when a Jharkhand hockey player would be selected for the prestigious Dhyan Chand award for the second year in succession," said Dungdung, who like Samurai also hails from Simdega, a district known as Jharkhand's hockey cradle.
The nomination of Samurai, who also played in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth where Indian women won gold, has sent a ripple of enthusiasm across her peers too. Her Melbourne teammate Asunta Lakra, also a midfielder and former Team India captain, was ecstatic.
"If Samurai didi gets the Dhyan Chand award it would be the only such instance of two hockey stalwarts from the state achieving the recognition in two successive years. It would increase the interest in hockey among tribal children," said Asunta.
"That the national hockey federation has sent the recommendation in itself does our state proud. One of our hockey stalwarts has already bagged the same award last year. We would be eagerly looking at the announcement of the final name," Hockey Jharkhand president Bhola Nath Singh said.
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