Sing
Two Sundargarh girls won the hearts of million Odia across the world when India Women's Hockey team secured the fourth position after losing to Britain at 3-4 in a close contest match. Losing or winning is a part of a game, but it's the attitude that matters and this is what the India women's team showed — a 'never give-up' attitude.
A team of eleven players and two of them are from Odisha, that too from the same district which produced more hockey players than any other district in Odisha, Sundargarh.
These two women hockey players are none other than Deep Grace Ekka (28 years) and Namita Toppo (26 years), both have passion for hockey and won many achievements.
Deep Grace Ekka, born in a tribal farmer family in the village Lulkidhi. She is the youngest daughter of Charles and Jaimani Ekka with five sons and daughters. Deep Grace Ekka received 'Biju Patnaik' award in 2020 and also received sportswoman accolade of the year in 2019.
On the other hand, Namita Toppo was born in the village Jaurumal. Namita was honoured with Ekalavya Puraskar in 2020 for outstanding performance both in domestic and international levels.
These two girls have made Odisha proud on the global stage.
Their journey from the tribal villages of Sundargarh to the Olympic arena is an inspiration for millions. They embody the true spirit of "ଆମେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାରି ବଢିଆ".