Sweta Shahi- An Indian Rugby Queen from Nalanda
The Star Indian Rugby sensation from Nalanda hopes to play Olympics soon
Would you imagine a 22-year young girl from a small Bihar village named Bhadari, Nalanda is ruling on World Rugby with her glorious performances for India? Without a doubt, it is true. Sweta Shahi, a young girl from a small village of Bihar, is ruling Worldwide on a foreign game. Not just, this small village young lady administering on World Rugby yet, in addition, won five titles for India at such an early age.
An indian rugby queen from nalanda
Sweta Shahi started playing Rugby just at the age of 15, and she was so incensed and quick that she played Nationals exactly when she was just 15. From that point forward, this irate player has been Unstoppable. This star Rugby player from Nalanda not only won merely international medals for India in her 22-long years of life but also she has produced very nearly 22 National-level medallists for India under her coaching.
Sweta got to know about Rugby for the first time, when the rugby secretary of Bihar, Pankaj Kumar Jyoti, saw the furious Sweta Shahi competing in an athletics championship in Patna, Bihar. This brisk player (who had played 6 Nationals of athletics just in her 15) was quick to such an extent that the Rugby secretary of Bihar impressed broadly at that minute and offered her to play Rugby.
Sweta shahi rugby queen from nalanda
Furthermore, Rest is the historical backdrop of her glorious performances in Rugby. Her story is closely related to MS Dhoni’s, when his coach offered him to keep the wickets, and the Rest is the story. Directly after the following day of his offer, she participated in a Rugby camp in Patna, and she was so incensed in the camp that she got chose to play Nationals the next moment in Odisha.
Sweta has played 17 National tournaments and has won numerous numbers of awards. Sweta Shahi has been awarded thrice with Bihar State Sports Awards for glorifying Bihar’s name with her unstoppable performances throughout the World.
The real struggle of Sweta began after her first National games in Odisha. At the point when she got back after her first National game, she had no ground neither coach for the training in her hometown. No one, even the secretary of Rugby of Bihar, had any idea about this foreign game in Bihar. Furthermore, the family of Sweta is poor. So, she couldn’t even afford to migrate to a better facility place.
Sweta shahi rugby
Along these lines, this champion player got herself a brilliant idea for her training by watching youtube videos of Rugby training and matches. One can think about how passionate she was for her game and how inadequate was the infrastructure of Rugby in Bihar. She faced unfortunate financial and support problems.
However, the main issue was sitting tight for its turn – The Society’s perspective as she comes from a village in Bihar, its sin to wear small clothes. Sweta started training in her village only with the help of youtube videos having worn small clothes. Her villagers started insulting her for her short clothes.
The villagers were saying; she is not only deteriorating our culture but also inciting other girls to choose the wrong way of wearing clothes. Lakhs of this type of taunts were thrown at a 15 years old girl by her villagers. Be that as it may, she faced all those deadly societal bouncers fearlessly. She was determined to her game, and she had great support from her lovely grandfather. Her maternal uncle tried hard to abstain her from playing Rugby.
“My grandfather has always supported me. He told me not to worry about society and focus on the game. He even convinced my father. Back in 2015, Noone knew about Rugby in my village. So, I started training watching youtube videos of Rugby training on my father’s phone,”
Sweta says
The struggle of Sweta happened most exceedingly awful when she got injured after her first National tournament. After that injury, she had to sit back at her home for almost a year as her family was not so financially strong that they could afford her surgery at that time.
But, after some time, Somehow, She went for a surgery and again started her magnificence in the field. Tragically, she got injured again, and this time her father has to mortgage her field for the loan. This bad is the financial condition of her family.
Finally, the champ rose again and proceeded with her magnificence in the field and got the opportunity to play her first international match in Asian’s women Rugby championship in 2015 in Chennai. From that point forward, this spirited fighter player has been continuing to glorify the name of India.
She has played 5 International tournaments for India, including the Asian Women’s Rugby XV’s Championship, where Indian women’s Rugby team created history by winning its first international win against Singapore in the Philippines.
“We were thrilled after our first international win over Singapore. We, as a team, played brilliantly in the Philippines,”
Sweta Shahi expresses
Recently, Sweta Shahi had featured in the unstoppable global campaign “Try and stop us” launched by World Rugby to revolutionize women’s Rugby. The ‘Try and Stop Us’ campaign aims to drive increased participation and engagement among fans, audiences, players, and investors in the women’s game.
Developed with the support of national unions and regions, it uses striking imagery and the inspiring stories of 15 women and girls involved in Rugby at all levels of the game from around the world, who are ‘unstoppable.’ They have challenged barriers to participation and demonstrated how Rugby has empowered them to get where they are today, both on and off the pitch.
From listening to taunts and abuses by her villagers to have set an example of herself, Sweta Shahi is truly a representation of World Rugby. Today, Not only in her village yet in addition to the world, every parent gives an example of her to their children.
This significant impact, Sweta Shahi, has left on this World while breaking barriers and stereotypes. Today, her villagers give an example to their children of her who were taunting her for wearing small clothes.
Sweta has been performing amazingly for India; however, she additionally began training the boys and girls for the good of Rugby back in 2017 in the field of Ras Vihari High school, Nalanda. She coaches nearly 100-150 boys and girls of Nalanda. The coaching story, as well, was a Himalaya battle for her, as none of the family wanted their girls to play Rugby due to fear of injury, which could harm their marriage.
However, the champ didn’t lose the expectations and convinced their parents to play Rugby on her risk. She additionally provided Rugby shoes and dresses to the kids with the help of his father as they were not so financially strong to afford the Rugby Pack. Gradually, she created a change in society’s mindset, and her success on the International level motivated lakhs of children to play Rugby.
Today, her 20-30 trained kids have played National and won awards. Isn’t it an extraordinary achievement to represent India, won awards for the country, and make 22+ children play Nationals in just 22-year of age?
“I had struggled hard for the training of Rugby in my initial days. So, I don’t want these kids to struggle as I did. I love training with them, and it feels great when they perform well,”Sweta explains.
In any case, significantly in the wake of playing for India and won such a significant number of matches for the Nation. However, there is an infinite number of issues this champion is facing as of now.
She comes from a poor-background family; she is much tensed about her future from the perspective of her financial condition as she doesn’t even get a penny for playing Rugby for India. She says,“the government ought to support the players through grants and employments. If they don’t, we are forced to leave the sports and prepare to find a job for our livings.”Sweta explains She has won five medals this year only, But she didn’t get any encouragement from anybody, regardless of whether from the Central Government or State legislature.
She is truly an inspiration for every player out there in the World. She is only 22, and much game is left in her. It’s not too far that She will lead the team to win an Olympic medal for India. Sweta Shahi has genuinely been a stereotype breaker who has broken the barrier of the perspective on Girl’s participation in the games.
She is genuinely an ambassador of the young girls’ involvement in sports and motivation for each young lady on the planet, who wishes to play. More than that, she is the proudest Bihari to do as such. Along these lines, how about we fully support this Bihari sensation from Nalanda.
The Bihari Rugby sensation is eyeing on the Indian Women’s Rugby team being selected for the Olympics