Pratima Boro

for the first time, to move away from all family and friends. The only person to accompany her was her coach. “When I came here I immediately took to the place, with everything so planned and organised.” In fact, when Pratima goes home for a visit, her stories of the Tata Archery Academy kindle in many others the dream to become world famous archers.

Though training is tough both physically and mentally, the sport is all about controlling the mind and through it the body, this sage youngster tells us. “Our concentration is constantly tested and scored. Depending on how we fare, we have to go back and work on ourselves during practice”.

Laxmirani Majhi, who is a national star is given a quick reminder that she needs to focus a lot more on physical fitness, as she walks in to chat with us. The comment is an indicator of the level of fitness every sportsperson, irrespective of the sports they excel in, must maintain.

From a tiny hamlet with only 500 people in Jharkhand, this Narwar girl has come a long way. In the morning she concentrates on the bull’s-eye with the best available equipment and every evening works out at a state-of-the-art gymnasium at the JRD Tata Complex, to develop the strength to lift heavy bows and yet shoot arrows with great accuracy. When Laxmi wanted to leave home, her parents were extremely diffident but it was she who insisted that

without doing so they would never know if fame and fortune were in store for her. Though academics do take a back seat, Laxmi wants to work hard through the special classes run by the Archery Academy to become a high-school graduate. Her idol, and for many others in the Academy is no Bollywood star but Umi Jin, Korea’s ace archer. They love his smooth, faultless style of shooting and are completely “fida” over him.

Sinimole Paulose

It is her gazelle like grace and speed which catch many an eye at the JRD Tata Sports Complex when she trains. A cadet at the Tata Athletics Academy, Sinimole has, in a short period of time, earned herself a big name in the Athletics arena of the country. In life, as is the case with the races she runs, Sinimole took an early lead and there has been no stopping her since. It is the likes of her who have, after a long hiatus, revived India’s interest in athletics. She won the Bronze Medal in the 1500 metres at the Doha Asian Games.

A former student of the Calicut University, Department of Physical Education, 23-year old Sinimole moved from Kerala to Jharkhand and Jamshedpur to benefit from the experience of the coaches at the Tata Athletics Academy and the world class training facilities the steel city offers.

Each of these girls has shown grit and determination in her own way in following her dreams. Tata Steel, which has always held sports as integral to a better quality of life, intends to support these big dreams by coaching, training, managing their growth and offering the very best sporting facilities as they bring medals and laurels to the country.

Sinimole Paulose