Tete: Riding high

Ranchi, March 5: From the backyard of her home in Simdega to being selected as the captain of the Indian women?s hockey team, for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the first for a state player to do so for the senior side, Sumrai Tete has dribbled several odds on her way to reach the pinnacle of success.

Sumrai, along with five other girls from Jharkhand, Ashunta Lakra, Maseera Surin, Kanti Ba, Sarita Lakra and Subhadra Pradhan, has already left for Melbourne, the venue of the sporting extravaganza, on Saturday.

Hailing from a small village at Kasira in Bolba block in Simdega, Tete learnt to wield the stick under Jageshwar Manjhi, the physical trainer of Balika Madhyamik School, Shamshera, her alma mater.

Spotted at a raw age for her proficiency on the pitch, Tete joined the Bariatu Girls? School under the Sports Authority of India Training Programme. It?s been a success story ever since and Tete has been a regular face in the Indian team as she kicked off her career in 1996.

Now, at 23 years, she has already earned laurels in the international stage, being a part of the national team, which notched the gold at the last Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.

?Sumrai has brought laurels for not only our state but also the country. It is the reward for her perseverance, dedication and hard work,? Mridula Sinha, president of the Jharkhand Women?s Hockey Association, said, adding that the skillful back was oozing with confidence before leaving for Melbourne.

Tete also shoulders her the responsibilities of her family ?her father is a small farmer ?after she got employed with South Eastern Railway as a head clerk.

Santoshi Tete, the proud mother of Sumrai, said: ?It is the happiest moment of my life. We have a poor financial background but that has never come in the way of her upbringing. I wish she gets the Arjuna award someday.?

?Her father was also a player and it was he who took an extra effort to ensure that nothing impedes her sporting career. Sumrai?s aunt, Amar Mani Kullu, was also a state-level player. I think Sumrai took inspiration from her,? she added.