EKKA Deep Grace

General
EARLY DAYS
She comes from Sundargarh, a small village in Odisha, India, which has produced a number of talented players. Her brother has also played hockey for the Indian national team. "In school, the only game we played was hockey. On holidays, we would play hockey all day long in the village. My parents told me that they would do anything to make sure I became a player. There would have been trouble if I didn't become one." She says while her parents supported her passion growing up, some villagers criticised her family for allowing her to prioritise hockey over doing household chores. "I did not work, so that gave them another reason to talk about me. When I used to play they would say, 'She doesn't even work and [plays men's sport].' But I did not pay any heed to them and continued to play. My father also used to play hockey so he supported me a lot during this phase." (livemint.com, 10 Aug 2013; olympics.com. 29 Mar 2021)