KAPURTHALA: Krishan Pathak, the back-up goalie for the Indian team on the upcoming Asian Games, learnt to struggle tricky battles in very exhausting places. His father, Tek Bahadur, was a crane operator in Kapurthala after having migrated from Nepal and may just barely make ends meet. To complement the circle of relatives source of revenue, Krishan moved debris at construction websites.
If this life was now not tricky sufficient, he misplaced each his oldsters before turning 20. The 21-year-old hockey champ misplaced his mother when he was 12, and his father handiest two years ago. Both suffered center attacks of their sleep. In truth, his father died simply six months before India triumphed in the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup wherein Krishan was the rustic's lead goalie.
" Kahaan se shuru karun, abhi tak to puri life uncertain hello rahi hai (My life has been uncertain thus far). I'm an orphan now. I don't have any one looking ahead to me at home. I am not positive if I've a spot, which I will name home. I've suffered such a lot of setbacks in my life; had it now not been for hockey, I may have landed in the clutches of substances," Krishan tells TOI.
"That said, I am living my dream and I am playing hockey for the country. And, that's the only thing that gives me satisfaction," he adds.
Krishan lives in a rented lodging together with his uncle Chandra Pathak in Kapurthala. The house is a small one, and Krishan's room is even smaller with an asbestos roof.
In July 2016, two days before he needed to fly for his maiden world tournament - a seven-match sequence towards the English junior team - Krishan received the devastating news of his father's death. He made up our minds to stick onboard and constitute India and ignored the last rites.
"That was very difficult, and it wasn't an easy decision to make. I called my uncle and both my sisters (who live in Nepal). They didn't force me to return; in fact, assured me that I should stay on and play for the country," recollects Krishna. "Harendra sir gave me permission to go home; but I wanted to show my mettle."
Harendra Singh, the current chief coach of the senior nationwide team, was then the coach of the Indian junior team. "I told him to go and assured him that his place in the team won't be in jeopardy, but he said, 'sir papa ki iccha thi ki mai India khelun (my father wanted me to represent India)'. That time, I realised that he is mentally very tough, and he is a warrior," says Harendra. The coach has prime regards for Krishan. "His reflexes are brilliant; and the kid has immense hunger to improve his game. He is definitely one for the future."
Facing hardships as a kid
Krishan was born in April 1997 in Kapurthala. His father had migrated from a village in Nepal in 1990 on the lookout for a job. Krishan joined Jalandhar's well-known Surjit Hockey Academy when he was 12. Two months after he joined the academy in Jalandhar, his mother passed on to the great beyond "Whenever my father used to visit me at the academy hostel, he would remind me of the sacrifices our family made. He also used to say that I will play for India one day. I never had such confidence in me, but he always had," Krishan says.
"When he first came to the academy, he didn't have any interest in hockey. But his father told me, 'I want to see my child play for India'. I am happy that I could keep the promise that I made to his father," says Avtar Singh, the pinnacle coach of Surjit Hockey Academy.
Punjab govt fails to keep guarantees
Krishan Pathak was one in every of 10 gamers from Punjab, who helped India win the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup in Lucknow. The Punjab govt had on the time promised Rs 25 lakh each for the gamers. Krishan remains to be looking ahead to that amount, which was assured via the state govt. He desires to construct a area for himself.
"I stay with my uncle; he also lives in a rented accommodation. I wish to have a house of my own. The amount that was promised would have been really useful; but, these things are not in our hands," stated a visibly disillusioned Krishan.
If this life was now not tricky sufficient, he misplaced each his oldsters before turning 20. The 21-year-old hockey champ misplaced his mother when he was 12, and his father handiest two years ago. Both suffered center attacks of their sleep. In truth, his father died simply six months before India triumphed in the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup wherein Krishan was the rustic's lead goalie.
" Kahaan se shuru karun, abhi tak to puri life uncertain hello rahi hai (My life has been uncertain thus far). I'm an orphan now. I don't have any one looking ahead to me at home. I am not positive if I've a spot, which I will name home. I've suffered such a lot of setbacks in my life; had it now not been for hockey, I may have landed in the clutches of substances," Krishan tells TOI.
"That said, I am living my dream and I am playing hockey for the country. And, that's the only thing that gives me satisfaction," he adds.
Krishan lives in a rented lodging together with his uncle Chandra Pathak in Kapurthala. The house is a small one, and Krishan's room is even smaller with an asbestos roof.
In July 2016, two days before he needed to fly for his maiden world tournament - a seven-match sequence towards the English junior team - Krishan received the devastating news of his father's death. He made up our minds to stick onboard and constitute India and ignored the last rites.
"That was very difficult, and it wasn't an easy decision to make. I called my uncle and both my sisters (who live in Nepal). They didn't force me to return; in fact, assured me that I should stay on and play for the country," recollects Krishna. "Harendra sir gave me permission to go home; but I wanted to show my mettle."
Harendra Singh, the current chief coach of the senior nationwide team, was then the coach of the Indian junior team. "I told him to go and assured him that his place in the team won't be in jeopardy, but he said, 'sir papa ki iccha thi ki mai India khelun (my father wanted me to represent India)'. That time, I realised that he is mentally very tough, and he is a warrior," says Harendra. The coach has prime regards for Krishan. "His reflexes are brilliant; and the kid has immense hunger to improve his game. He is definitely one for the future."
Facing hardships as a kid
Krishan was born in April 1997 in Kapurthala. His father had migrated from a village in Nepal in 1990 on the lookout for a job. Krishan joined Jalandhar's well-known Surjit Hockey Academy when he was 12. Two months after he joined the academy in Jalandhar, his mother passed on to the great beyond "Whenever my father used to visit me at the academy hostel, he would remind me of the sacrifices our family made. He also used to say that I will play for India one day. I never had such confidence in me, but he always had," Krishan says.
"When he first came to the academy, he didn't have any interest in hockey. But his father told me, 'I want to see my child play for India'. I am happy that I could keep the promise that I made to his father," says Avtar Singh, the pinnacle coach of Surjit Hockey Academy.
Punjab govt fails to keep guarantees
Krishan Pathak was one in every of 10 gamers from Punjab, who helped India win the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup in Lucknow. The Punjab govt had on the time promised Rs 25 lakh each for the gamers. Krishan remains to be looking ahead to that amount, which was assured via the state govt. He desires to construct a area for himself.
"I stay with my uncle; he also lives in a rented accommodation. I wish to have a house of my own. The amount that was promised would have been really useful; but, these things are not in our hands," stated a visibly disillusioned Krishan.
Sreejesh's understudy, Krishan worked at construction sites
![Sreejesh's understudy, Krishan worked at construction sites]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
August 12, 2018
Rating:
