The sweltering heat inside the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi made even sitting uncomfortable, let alone competing in a high-intensity game of basketball. But one young girl in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state team — a short-haired, strongly-built point guard — was going about her business like a seasoned professional.
Distributing the ball, making plays, getting her teammates involved and hustling after loose balls, it was just another day in the office for Barkha Sonkar. Her UP team would eventually go on to secure a historic bronze in the 65th National Basketball Championship for Junior Men and Women. And it was no coincidence that the barely 5-ft 5-in Sonkar had a key role to play in this podium finish.
For Sonkar, though, the stirring run in Kochi was just another milestone in a spectacular journey that has taken her all the way from the banks of the Ganges to the sunny beaches of Florida.
Now 20-years-old, Sonkar has just completed her freshman year at Hillsborough Community College, Florida. But as recently as last summer, after her graduation from IMG, Sonkar’s extended stay in the US had looked unlikely. That was until numerous well-wishers from the Indian basketball community, led by yesteryear star Shiba Maggon, rallied to collect funds for her college tuition.