Letting Nupur Run

At the break of dawn, before the school bell rings, narrow lanes echo with the thud of water pots and the voices of girls hurrying to finish their household chores. Dust rises from the mud fields, where boys gather in groups to play, while most girls watch from afar or away at home helping. For generations, this has been the morning script in most Indian villages. Some unspoken rules about what daughters can and cannot do. It is a rhythm learned early and repeated as a norm.

But years before Nupur Bhengra became a teenager, her mornings looked different in Uyur, a sparsely populated, predominantly tribal village in Jharkhand’s Khunti district.

She would wake before most others and sprint across the mud field where boys once trained alone.

Roshni Bhengra, 33, and Turang Bhengra, 46, with grassroots mentor Hemant Aind (centre), whose early training at the Uyur hockey centre helped shape their daughter Nupur’s journey.

Her father, Turang, now in his mid-forties, jogged a few yards behind, unable to match his energetic daughter’s pace. Her mother, Roshni, shouldered the household work so Nupur’s mornings could belong to the field. And on many days, she joined her husband and daughter at dawn, running alongside them.

Today, at 13, Nupur has moved far beyond that field. She has progressed from the grassroots hockey centre in Uyur to the Regional Development Centre (RDC) in Bichna, and now to Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hazaribagh. But her journey began on that mud ground under the guidance of Hemant Aind, at a time when girls playing hockey in the village was still uncommon.

“At first, only boys used to play,” Roshni recalls. “Hemant sir encouraged us to support Nupur to play hockey. We agreed. She is the first from our family to play hockey.”

“I never thought I would see such a day,” her mother says. “She went outside the village, to another state and won. She saw places we never imagined.”

While Nupur was away, reassurance travelled both ways. Nupur shared match results and introduced her mother to her new friends. Roshni sent advice with reminders to rest and eat properly, and asked questions about the environment she could barely imagine. The distance felt smaller with every conversation.

Beyond medals and matches, Nupur’s growth has also been shaped by life-skills training embedded in the Tata Trusts-supported Grassroots Hockey Programme, implemented by CInI. At the grassroots and RDC levels, sessions go beyond technique, covering communication, financial awareness, menstrual health management, teamwork and self-discipline.

“She has become more mature,” Roshni says. “She knows how to speak to elders, how to manage her time, and even how to save.” The confidence Nupur carries today is not limited to her hockey skills. It is personal, the kind that stays long after the final whistle.

At home, nothing was imposed, but responsibility was encouraged. Nupur studied, trained seriously, and helped her mother with chores, not as a burden, but as a way of learning discipline and balance.

“You must do everything properly,” Roshni told her. “There are no shortcuts. Hard work is a must.”

Her father adds that they were mindful of her energy. “If she is tired, we ask her not to worry about any housework. We tell her to be ready for her games. We always encourage her.”

Turang remembers the early questions from neighbours and relatives. Why so much travel? Why let a young girl play so much? “But this sport makes her happy,” he says. “Her heart is involved. That matters.”

When Nupur returned from Odisha after winning the championship, she brought home a medal and a new hockey stick. “That felt good,” her father says with a smile. “We hope it is just the beginning.”

The family has spent what it needed to spend. Even with institutional support, participation still carries costs. “We have spent what we could from our pockets,” Roshni says. “But that is fine. If she grows in the sport, that will be our return. Everything will be worth it. What matters most is that she is happy.”

Turang laughs when the subject of money comes up. “On a brighter note, we have learned to save more,” he says. “Saving more so that we can spend on her.”

Asked what they hope for their only child, Turang does not hesitate. “I want her to move forward,” he says. “And one day, play for India.”

They also have a message for other parents. “If your daughter wants to play, let her try,” Roshni says. “Encourage your children. Don’t hold them back. We supported Nupur, and she is showing us what she is capable of.”

In Uyur, that simple choice of letting a girl run, to treat her ambition as seriously as of a boy, is already changing what the future looks like. When girls are given space to grow early, they do not just become better athletes. They grow into women who carry confidence, discipline and belief far beyond the field where it all began.

Moments after winning the 2nd All India Odisha Naval Tata U-16 Women Hockey Grassroot Tournament 2025 in Odisha for CInI Jharkhand, Nupur and her teammates broke into a spontaneous tribal dance — a celebration that quickly went viral.

— As told to Suvajit Mustafi, Tata Trusts, by Nupur Bhengra and her parents, Roshni and Turang Bhengra, in Uyur village, Khunti district, Jharkhand, in March 2025.