Salima Tete, from bamboo sticks to Arjuna Award, first woman hockey player from Jharkhand
RANCHI: Salima Tete, who once practised with bamboo sticks in her childhood, has become the first woman hockey player from Jharkhand to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award.
President Draupadi Murmu presented the honour to Salima, the captain of the Indian women’s hockey team, during the National Sports Awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.
Earlier, in 1972, Olympian Michael Kindo was awarded the Arjuna Award, while Silvanus Dungdung and Sumrai Tete received the Major Dhyan Chand Award.
Salima’s journey in hockey has been one of resilience, as she overcame poverty and financial hardship to achieve success. The condition of her family home still highlights the struggles she has faced.
When Salima was part of the Indian women’s hockey team that competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, her village lacked a television. Following a report by a section of media, the Prime Minister’s Office intervened, and the district administration installed a TV set and a set-top box at her home.
Salima Tete, who once practised with bamboo sticks in her childhood, has become the first woman hockey player from Jharkhand to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award.
Salima was among 32 players recognised at the National Sports Awards ceremony. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda, and other leaders congratulated her on this significant milestone.
Born into a poor tribal family, Salima began playing hockey with a bamboo stick for her village team and participated in local tournaments. Her father, Sulakshan Tete, is also a skilled hockey player, and her mother, Subhani Tete, is a homemaker. Salima used to participate in the Lathakhaman hockey tournament with her father every year.
In 2011, Salima’s talent was noticed by Manoj Konbegi, the organiser of the Lathakhaman hockey tournament and then joint secretary of Hockey Simdega, now the President of the Simdega Hockey Association. Salima won the Best Player award during the tournament.
“When I saw her playing at the village tournament in 2011, I spoke to her father, urging him to send her to the hockey centre to hone her skills, but he did not pay heed to my suggestions,” said Konbegi. “In 2012, I reminded him again, but he didn’t respond. However, in 2013, he finally agreed to send her to the centre.”
Initially, Salima struggled to gain admission to the Hockey Residential Centre in Simdega. For two years, she stayed in another hostel run by the welfare department, cooked her meals using firewood, and practised with players from the residential centre. “Looking at her talent and hard work, she was eventually inducted into the residential centre in 2013,” Konbegi said.
Within two months, Salima earned a spot on the Jharkhand team for the SGFI national competition. She never looked back after that, according to Konbegi. In 2014, she joined the state’s sub-junior hockey team, and in 2016, she was selected for the junior Indian women’s hockey team and went on a tour to Spain.
Later in 2016, Salima became the vice-captain of the junior Indian women’s team for the Under-18 Asia Cup held in Bangkok, where the team won the bronze medal. That November, she was selected for the senior team and toured Australia.
Salima gained significant recognition at the 2018 Youth Olympics, where she captained the Indian team to a silver medal. In 2024, she was appointed captain of the Indian women’s hockey team.
Her remarkable journey from practising with bamboo sticks in her village to leading the national team as captain is truly inspirational.
