India in Hockey World Cup: Neelam Khes used to play hockey to pass the time and became a defender because others in the village wanted to play forward and score goals.

Hockey World Cup: Neelam Khes and her parents.

Hockey World Cup 2023: In the Men's Hockey World Cup (Hockey World Cup 2023), a player who spent his childhood working on the farm to help the family will make the Indian team champion after 46 years. Till five years back there was no electricity in his village. The financial condition of his family was so bad that they could not even buy a lantern and spent the night with the help of debris (Diya). This player is Nilam Xess. The 24-year-old defender, who hails from Kadobahal village in Rourkela, will make his World Cup debut on January 13 against Spain.

Nilam Xess started playing hockey in Kadobahal itself. The population of this village is less than the seating capacity of the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, but the craze for hockey is immense. Xess started playing hockey on a ground that did not even have grass. A torn net will be found on both goalposts. There is a road next to it. Two bamboo poles have been installed so that the vehicles passing by do not get hit by the ball.

How Neelam Khes started playing hockey

When Nilam Xess landed on this ground, he was only 7 years old. He said, “I used to play with my brother during school breaks. After coming home, I would help my parents in the potato and cauliflower fields. In the evening the people of the village would meet to play hockey. I used to play with them."

Interesting story of becoming a defender

Nilam Khes played hockey to pass the time and became a defender because others wanted to play forward and score goals. In the past also tribal areas have given many heroes to hockey. These include Michael Kindo, Dilip Tirkey, Lajara Barla and Prabodh Tirkey. There was a time when Khes was not aware of these, but then he did not even think that he would ever play hockey for India.

The family could not even buy a lantern

Nilam Xess jokes about her village, Kadobahal, that it is not a place where people dream big. He said, “There was no current either. I was not even aware of what was happening in the world far away, what was happening in Rourkela. Sometimes, I feel ashamed to tell my story, but then I think, wow, where have I come from.” Bipin Khes, the father of Nilam Xess, says, “There was no electricity in the village till 2017. Till then we lived in the dark. We could not even buy a lantern. There were small bottles in the house. When empty, we used to wash them and let them dry. Then used to make a small hole on the top of the bottle, put some kerosene oil in it, and burn it. That's how our nights passed."

Neelam Xess's father

Neelam Khes wanted to have a good job

This was the time when Nilam Xess wanted to get a good job after completing her studies. He played hockey just for fun. Everything changed in the year 2010. He was selected for the sports hostel of Sundergarh. He said about this, “Then I came to know that money can be earned even by playing hockey. You get respect. That's why I worked hard to become a player. Then I saw London Olympics 2012. After that, I set a goal to play for India.

Birendra Lakda helped a lot

Nilam Xess's family borrowed money to buy a hockey stick and meet other requirements. Local coach Tejkumar Khes taught him the art of defending. When he was first selected for the national camp, Birender Lakra, another star from the tribal belt, helped him a lot. Xess took him and said, “He treated me like his brother and taught me many things. He taught about tackling, positioning, and handling pressure.