The little wizard from Manipur

Back in the early 2000s when the craze for football was at its bloom in the Northeast, a shy boy from Imphal East picked up the football shoes just like his friends but for a different purpose.

Five kilometers away from his home was the hockey turf ground, the only one in the area, and Nilakanta Sharma drove his cycle everyday to learn nuances of the sport that attracted him as a child. The journey, as one would expect, wasn't easy.

"When I started hockey in Manipur, there wasn't a proper turf ground to practice on. The one where we trained was away from home and the most difficult part was that it was open just from morning 5am to 8.30am. So we had to reach on time, finish our practice and vacate the place. In the evening, we used to practice in mud nearby if there were enough players, otherwise it was just one time training. Even today, it's difficult to get hockey equipments in Manipur. We used to wear football shoes as we didn't have the other ones and had to wait for someone in the state to go for the national camp so that we he can get us the hockey sticks. That's the kind of challenges I faced earlier in the career," the 23-year-old told Mail Today from Bhubaneshwar.

To realise his hockey dream, Nilakanta decided it was time he moved on and looked for an academy to train, that's when he was welcomed at the hockey academy managed by Olympian MK Kaushik in Bhopal. It was 2011 when the Manipuri lad's real journey began - one that taught him something more than the sport of hockey.

"When I first entered the hostel in 2011, I was stunned by the level of hockey being played there. It was like a new beginning. I learnt something new about the sport every day and took a keen interest in the midfield position. I never liked defending so I opted for a position that would suit me.

"The biggest challenge living in a hostel was homesickness. I used to miss my family, my friends and used to think about them all the time. We used to get a vacation once a year and the travelling time amounted to about 3-4 days. But I also used to think that I left home for a purpose. I wanted to prove my family and my friends something. I didn't have the courage to face them without being someone or having achieved anything," he explained.

Nilakanta came to national recognition with the Junior World Cup triumph in 2016 and was already a member of the Dabang Mumbai team in the Hockey India League.

After spending time as a standby in the Hockey World League Finals and the Asian Games, the big moment finally arrived for the 23-year-old in July 2017 and in such short span, he already has 33 caps to his name.

The Asian Champions Trophy last month worked as a catalyst in Nilakanta's career as he opted for the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar ahead of the 18-year-old Vivek Sagar Prasad, the boy who led India to silver at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

Looking back, the Manipuri credits hard work and support of fellow Northeast players Chinglensana Singh - the vice-captain - and Kothajit Singh for his incredible rise.