Meet Nirmalaya Rout, who is representing Odisha in rugby at the 37th National Games in Goa.

Nirmalaya’s father Vasudev Raut is a farmer. Apart from her parents, she has two siblings, a brother and sister. Vasudev, despite his constraints, somehow sent his daughter to Bhubaneswar to study. Along with studies, Nirmalaya also took up sports which is helping her to have name and fame in the circuit today. She has led her team to win gold medal in Rugby Sevens at the India University Games 2023.

“My childhood was very difficult, the financial condition of the family was not good and we were three brothers and sisters, it was difficult to survive in such a situation without much facilities.”

“I have also played in Junior National and Senior Nationals for Odisha. The Junior National was held in Bihar in 2022. In that, our team got the second position whereas, in the 36th National Games (Gujarat), Odisha were the champions.”

On the advice of her father, she left the village and headed towards Bhubaneswar, where she took admission in a private school. She saw the game there for the first time.

“When I came to Bhubaneswar for the first time, I saw this game. I liked it and got engrossed in it. Now I see my bright future in it. Ever since I started playing rugby, my family’s financial condition has gradually improved and I now want to give a better future to my siblings and represent the country in the same game,” she said.

The 18-year-old player, who was part of the Asian Rugby Under-18 Championship (Kathmandu) silver medal-winning team, said, “I feel a little scared before every match, but as soon as the first match is over, the excitement of winning automatically fills me. And seeing the enthusiasm of the team, I get the courage to compete boldly.”