Madhukumari- An inspiration

This is the story of a young girl from Bengal who managed to overcome every hurdle in her path to achieve what she had been working hard for, all her life. Madhukumari, a 22-year old girl from Chetla, Kolkata, made it to the Indian women’s basketball team after a 21-year long wait. The contribution of Bengal to Indian basketball is almost negligible. In such circumstances, this is a bright start and definitely an inspirational story for all women athletes in Bengal and India alike. Well, it’s not exactly a start since Bengal had representation in the women’s team back in 1997. It was Aparna Ghosh back then who carried the baton for all Bengalis. She was appointed the coach of the team back in 2006 when the Indian team was preparing for the Common wealth Games. The team’s next participation in the Common wealth games was this year, and Madhukumari got the call-up as a part of the 30 member squad, prior to the Games. She managed to climb through the ranks quickly, cementing her place in the first 12 that would be travel to Gold Coast.
A girl living in challenging conditions has paved the path for millions of Indian women. We all hope we will have more Madhukumaris who will continue to inspire our youth.