AHMEDABAD: When Khushbu Saroj, 18, goes to the Thuwunno stadium in Yangon 6 August to face Indonesia in the AFC U-20 Cup qualifications, it carries more than just an Indian tricolor jersey.Khushbu, the daughter of a modest gardener, was named in the Indian 23-member team for the continental tournament. She came from Ahmedabad and joined her Shaubhangi Singh in the Tapi district as two Gujarat players in the group. It is not just a football match for Khushba – it is a moment of silent triumph against years of doubt, social resistance and suffering.“My father works as a gardener in people’s homes. He used to be his friends to let me leave the house in shorts to play football,” recalls Khushba. “He would often tell me,” Kuch Bhi na nai rakha in Sab Cheezo Mein ‘(there is no future in such things). But my mother and sisters never gave up. It was my strength. “Her journey began in the narrow lanes of Ahmedabad, where she kicked the ball for the first time after watching the seniors played in their school. What began as curiosity turned into a passion quickly. But the road was not easy. The unwillingness of her father and social judgment was heavily weighed into the family. Khushba still persisted.Only when she gained a place in the state team Gujarat did her father began to proceed. “When I finally wore an Indian jersey and after my first international tournament I returned from Thailand, my parents came to accept me. They were filled with pride,” he says, smiling in his voice.Her coach in Kahaan FC, Lalita Saini, played a key role in her rise. “Ma’am Lalita was a second mother. She led me in everything – diet, discipline, mental power. When I got hurt in 2022 and my parents asked if I should leave sport, Ma’am Lalita told me that injuries were just a part of the player’s life.Khushbu’s Father’s Words today are a sharp contrast to the doubts of the past: “I stopped her when she went to training. I’m proud of her today.”Her mother’s eyes increased well as she added, “People ridiculed her. Today she feels like a dream. We never imagined our daughter to play for India.”From Ahmedabad to Yangon, the story of Khushbu Saroi is one of the perseverance, passion and the silent revolution – a testimony of the power of faith in himself.
