People close to me tell me I am like my mum, Harjit Kaur. My mother was a police officer. She is hard-working and determined and I watched her excel in her field for so long. She had a big, big contribution in where I am today and her influence set me up on my journey.
Growing up in Chandigarh, I remember my mum used to drop me and pick me up from training every day. My training used to take place on the other side of the city and she used to take me on her scooter. And bear in mind, being a police officer, she was busy as well.
She was always supportive of me and my ambition. Whenever I used to go away for national tournaments, she used to sew small pockets in my bag and put maybe ₹300-500 for emergency purposes. Looking back now, I am thinking about how far we have come as a family.
Football used to be an alien sport and my family found it tough to watch the early part of my career. But at now Bengaluru FC, all the Indian Super League matches are on TV, my family is now a football-watching one.
One of the proudest moments of my career was receiving the Arjuna Award in 2019. I think that’s the most prized gift I have been able to give her. The moment I received it, she took it home to Chandigarh and kept it there.
As told to Aashin Prasad.
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