“Can anyone help me please?” This exasperated appeal from international hockey player Yendala Soundarya might well sum up how the less privileged and those not good at projecting themselves suffer for want of help from the powers-that-be.
The 25-year-old hockey player, silver medallist in the 2009 Senior Asia Cup, is the only international women’s hockey player now from Telangana, hailing from Nizamabad. She also won a silver in the Asian championship, representing India in the Women’s World Cup.
Her fervent appeal came on a day when Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced a cash incentive of Rs. 50 lakh for the World women’s junior boxing champion, Nikhat Zareen, also from Nizamabad. Apparently, he was not briefed about this outstanding hockey player!
The failure of Soundarya’s parents, who happen to be daily wage earners, to project their daughter’s achievements, is proving costly.
“Please tell me how I can get some help from the government. It has been a struggle right through and it really hurts that no one is there to take up my cause,” said Soundarya from the national camp in an exclusive chat with The Hindu .
Soundarya, gold medallist in the 2008 Japan international tournament (under-18), is not bothered as to what others got. “I am more concerned about myself. Will I get any incentive at all is the big question,” says the star forward, who is preparing for next month’s Asian Games.
“It makes me wonder as to why I pursued the sport when there is no system in place to get due recognition,” she complains. When contacted, a senior sports authority official, wishing to remain anonymous, said the gaffe was the result of the lack of a clear-cut sports policy especially with regard to cash incentives.
