These Athletes From Tribal Areas Have Done India Proud Proving Unity In Diversity Is Strength

Indians love sport. The love that unites us as a tribe, a social pact of sorts that despite our diversity there is always this unifying factor. This goes beyond just being a patriotic sentiment.

PTI

We are a unison of country of many cultures and tribes. While the definition and anthropological facet of the term tribal may seem to differentiate people, this is just a social construct. In sport, our best players have stemmed from tribal areas of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, the Northeast and also certain areas of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bengal, they have fought for basic amenities that their far flung villages and small town may not have been able to provide.

AFP

Their hardships growing up as a sportsperson in villages that have almost zero sporting infrastructure to support their dreams, did not deter them. They have toiled twice as hard as their counterparts in cities and towns across India, but it is this grit that has propelled them to victory, and us as a nation of 1.3 billion, to sporting glory across disciplines.

PTI

We tip our hat to these worthy athletes who have made us proud :

1. Dutee Chand (Track and Field)

A native of Jajpur district in Odisha, Dutee is the current national champion in 100m. She also clinched silver in the 100m and 200m at the 2018 Asian Games. She is a huge medal prospect for the Tokyo Olympics.

2. Mary Kom (Boxing)

Mary been crowned World Champion on six occasions which is a record. She is known as Magnificent Mary, the lady from Manipur was the first Indian female boxer to win an Asian Games gold in 2014. She is also the first Indian female boxer to win a Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, and a bronze at the Olympics in 2012.

3. Bhaichung Bhutia (Football)

He is known as the Sikkimese Sniper. Bhaichung was the face of Indian football in the 1990s and 2000s. He was also the captain of the national team. He scored his first ever goal versus Uzbekistan in 1995 he became the youngest goalscorer for India. In 2014, he was inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame.

4. Lalremsiami (hockey)

She was part of the team that won silver at the Asian Games in 2018. She also played in the side that won the FIH World Series Finals and one can expect a good show from her at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

5. Birendra Lakra (hockey)

Born in a village called Lachchada in Odisha's Sundargarh District, he was part of the Oraon tribe. He was part of the junior team in 2007 and in 2009 made it to the senior team. He was part of the team that won silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

6. Dangmei Grace (football)

She is the face of India women's football at the moment. Dangmei belongs to a Rongmei Naga Tribe from Dimdailong Village in Manipur. Ever since her debut in the 2013 AFC Qualifiers, she has been a regular member. She represented India at the 2014 Asian Games and at the 2016 South Asian Games as well. She was named Emerging Player Award at the 2018 Indian Women¡¯s League.

7. Thonakal Gopi (marathon)

He hails from a tribal family of Wayanad district, Kerala. Gopi won gold in the 10,000m National Open Athletics Championships in 2014, and won gold at the South Asian Games in 2016.