A rags-to-riches ride for hockey boy Varun

A name that has became popular after India’s Junior Hockey World Cup heroics is Mumbai-based team BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd) player Varun Kumar. The 22-year-old originally hails from a hamlet in Jalandhar. Most of his childhood days were spent playing hockey with India captain Manpreet Singh in the corners of their small village, Mithapur.

A group of four friends — Varun, Manpreet, Talwinder Singh and Mandeep Singh — would spend their evenings in unevenly laid grounds of Mithapur, playing hockey. Varun used to save up the little money that he would get from his father to buy gear and accessories.

The hockey player did not change many sticks as a kid. The only reason was that he couldn’t afford it. His older brother had the same aspiration of growing up and representing India, but his dream ended at the state level. “He was sent to army camp since we didn’t have enough money and our father was the only one working,” recalls Varun with a heavy heart.

His father rode an auto-rickshaw, in which he transported goods at the same time. The money that he made could only allow them to live a hand-to-mouth way of life. The fortunes of the Kumar family only changed after 2014, after the younger son broke into India’s junior team. He was waiting for a chance in the team for four years around the bench where all his friends were making their debuts.

Soon, he was the first choice full-back of the team and when the team was lining up in Lucknow for the Junior World Cup in 2016, the dream became real. The team registered back-to-back wins against top class oppositions to lift the cup in front of the home fans. Varun became a fan favourite for his display at the back.

Varun and co. returned home as heroes with the whole neighbourhood waiting for them. Out of all the happy memories from the world cup, Varun is displeased with the government, which did not keep its promise. “Two days after we won, the government announced a '25-lakh reward to all of us. We were around seven or eight boys from Punjab who would get this money. The year is almost about to end, the ruling party has changed and our hopes are dead. We did not receive a single penny from their side,” states the full-back.

He has been a part of the BPCL side for four years but landed a job this year. Based on his promotion to the national level to the senior side, Varun is expecting the same at work.

He says that not many people looked out for his family in its time of need. However, once they saw him on their television sets, the Kumar family’s phones started ringing. “None of our relatives helped up when needed but now they keep calling,” he says. But now he has become a admired face in Jalandhar even though he plays for the Mumbai side. “Chaar log jaante hain ab gaon mei toh achha lagta hai,” he asserts with pride.