My father always wanted me to pursue whatever I liked, says defender Gurinder Singh

The true merit of an individual can only be determined in times of adversity and how he can manage to overcome the challenges in front of him to emerge victorious. Defender Gurinder Singh, who is still at a tender age of 23, has managed to beat the odds and do his father proud as he followed his heart.

“I had just started playing hockey when my father died in a road accident when a fully loaded tractor-trolley plunged into a canal. We are a joint family and all of them have been into farming. But, my father always wanted me to pursue whatever I liked and after his death, my mother told me to concentrate on my game. My uncles and cousins would always do my work and supported me.

Gurinder, who was under coach R S Rana at first at the Hawks Club later joined the Surjeet Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, under coach Avtar Singh. After which, the 23-year old starred for Punjab in the sub-junior and junior national title wins. He recently featured in the four nations cup in New Zealand which meant that his family, especially his mum followed his progress with keen interest.

“Gurinder hamesha hockey match hi dekhda si. Pind ch vi hockey stick te astro turf hi isdi life hai (Gurinder would often watch hockey matches. When he is in the village, he only talks about hockey stick and astro-turf). His father would have been the proudest person to see him play in the CWG and we want Gurinder to return with the gold medal from Australia,” said Gurinder’s mother," 48-year-old Baljeet Kaur.