JHARKHAND: Father Benedict Kujoor, a dedicated schoolteacher from Jharkhand, found himself unable to pursue his hockey dreams professionally due to a lack of resources and proper guidance. Nevertheless, he channelled his passion for the sport into providing free hockey training to underprivileged children in his school. Remarkably, five of his students, Sangita Kumari, Beauty Dungdung, Sushma Kumari, Alka Dungdung, and Deepika Soreng, have risen to represent their country internationally, while over fifty others have excelled at state level competitions.
“I trained these girls. who, due to their dedication and hard work, have reached this position and are making the nation proud,” says Father Benedict, now 52 years old. Not only that, one can find his students at each and every hockey centre across the state, where they are excelling on the turf besides their studies, he says.
Kujoor’s journey into hockey began humbly though, as he learned the sport by observing his elder brothers and fellow villagers play. Despite facing financial challenges that thwarted his own ambitions, he tirelessly worked to empower disadvantaged youth, funding their nutritional needs and crafting hockey sticks out of bamboo.
Though his own opportunities were limited, Father Benedict was determined to ignite a passion for hockey among his students. Upon joining Karngaguri Primary School in Simdega as a primary teacher in 2000, he took a revolutionary step, making hockey sticks, along with school bags, compulsory for every child entering the school. Since then, he has dedicated one hour before and after school each day to train the children.
His goal was clear: to ensure that even the poorest and most marginalized child could aspire to reach the pinnacle of hockey success.
