00:00I am a rugby player. I have been playing rugby for the past 10 years and I have been representing India for the past 10 years.
00:06I have also been appointed as a referee at the Asian level and I am also working as a teacher.
00:12Rugby is a sport that was not so developed in India when I started.
00:18I started playing rugby in 2011. At that time, rugby did not get any appreciation.
00:23In my family background, boys were not allowed to wear shorts, make friends and go out.
00:30They were married at an early age.
00:32In 2012, when I was selected for the first Indian camp, I was not selected for the Indian team for the first time.
00:40My family told me that they will get me married next year.
00:43I had only two options, either marriage or selection for the Indian team.
00:48I worked hard for a year and trained hard.
00:52In 2013, I represented the Indian team for the first time.
00:55It was a life-changing moment for me.
00:57As soon as I represented the Indian team, I got a chance to tell my parents to give me a chance, let me move forward and let me play.
01:04Because of that, I represented the Indian team today.
01:07I broke this barrier that I do not want to get married.
01:10I have to take that step only after reaching my level.
01:14I have to take that step only after reaching my level.
01:16I always say that one step can change your life.
01:19I always say that one step can change your life.
01:24If I had not taken that step, I would have got married and I would not be standing here today.
01:31I think my family supported me a lot.
01:34Yes, there were some cultural barriers.
01:37We were told not to wear shorts, not to go out, not to make friends with boys, etc.
01:45But my father was very supportive of me.
01:49He said, if you want to do something, you should move forward.
01:51I am with you and I support you.
01:53The government also played a big role.
01:55When I started, no one knew about rugby.
01:58We used to play only one game a year.
02:01At present, rugby is well developed all over India.
02:05The government is doing a good job.
02:10There are some people who support us, but we have to move forward.
02:16Women are equal everywhere.
02:20Women are equal everywhere.
02:25Our vision is to develop India.
02:30For that, we have to take sub-goals.
02:33For example, sports.
02:36We used to play only once a year.
02:39Tournaments do not end in a year.
02:42We play tournaments every month.
02:44This is a development.
02:46In the Olympics, we used to win one or two medals.
02:49Now we have gone from 2 to 7 and 9.
02:51This is a development.
02:53We launched small programs.
02:55We launched small schemes.
02:57Because of this, we have reached this level.
03:00Because of this, we are moving towards development.
03:04I think my experience is very good.
03:08When I started, it was not so developed.
03:11At present, we have reached a very good level.
03:14I work as a government employee.
03:18I got a job in the Central Government Organization.
03:21My sports have played a big role in this.
03:24Earlier, no one knew about sports.
03:28There were many sports that were not even highlighted.
03:30Cricket was considered.
03:32But now there are so many sports that are being kept at the forefront.
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