From National Hockey to Lifting Sacks: The Story of Paramjeet Kumar
Paramjeet Kumar, once a promising hockey player from Punjab, now earns his living by loading and unloading sacks, getting just Rs 1.25 per sack. Despite representing the Sports Authority of India (SAI), PEPSU, and Punjab, and winning medals in four junior national championships, life took a harsh turn after an injury in 2012.
“I work every day lifting sacks from trucks. People here don’t know about hockey. But once they find out, they pat me on the back — that’s the only recognition I get,” Paramjeet says. “When I return home, I give my five-year-old son Vikrant a plastic hockey stick and ball. I couldn’t reach my dream, but I want him to change that.”
In 2007, Paramjeet was named in the Indian junior hockey team and was selected for the Junior Asia Cup. He recalls, “The night I received the team blazer, I couldn’t sleep. But two days later, the tournament was cancelled.”
Paramjeet once shared the field with famous players like Manpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, and Kothajit Singh during his time with the SAI team. He remembers how they used to encourage him.
However, after suffering a left-hand injury in 2012, he was out of the game for over a year. He made a comeback, playing at the state and local levels, but financial difficulties forced him to step away again in 2015 and work as a ‘palledar’ (laborer) at a local market.
Today, Paramjeet lives in a rented room in his sister’s house with his wife and son. He is hopeful that a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on February 1 in Chandigarh could change his life and give him a chance to work as a coach or in a government job.
“I never had the money to buy a hockey kit when I was selected for the SAI Patiala center. Living in the hostel, I dreamed of playing for India. If I can return to the field or become a coach, I can set an example for my son. Maybe he will play for India — something I couldn’t achieve,” says Paramjeet with hope.
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