Paramjeet was a part of Sports Authority of India, PEPSU and Punjab teams and won medals in four junior hockey nationals and was also named in the Indian junior hockey team in 2007.

“It’s my daily routine to load and unload sacks from trucks and I get Rs 1.25 for each sack). Where I work, not many know about hockey, but when they get to know, they always pat me on the back and that’s the only reward I have got from hockey. When I return home, I see my five-year-old son Vikrant and I make him play with a plastic hockey and ball. Whatever happened to me, I want him to change that,” says Kumar.

In 2012 Kumar suffered an injury on his left hand and was away from the game for more than a year. He returned after recovery and played at the state-level and local-level. In 2015 he took his time off from the game and started working as a ‘palledar’. He currently stays in a rented accommodation of her sister along with his wife and son and is hopeful of getting a job when he meets Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on February 1 in Chandigarh.

“When I was selected for the SAI centre at Patiala, I could not even think of affording a hockey kit. But staying in the hostel always made me dream to play for India one day. I played for SAI combined teams in the junior nationals. When I was chosen for the Junior Asia Cup, I got the blazer and I could not sleep the whole night. But two days later, the tournament got cancelled. Tokyo Olympics bronze medal winning Indian captain Manpreet Singh and other players like Rupinder Pal Singh, Lalit Upadhayay and Kothajeet Singh were my team-mates in the SAI teams and they would always praise and encourage me,” said Paramjeet.

“After the injury, it has been a struggle to make a comeback. I had to work as a ‘palledar’ at the mandi to make ends meet. I hope to return as a player soon or get a job as a coach. If I could do that, I can be a good example for my son and maybe he can play for India one day which I could not.”