Prasanna doesn't know how he'll control emotions in India-China game
CHENNAI: India's match against China in the Asian Champions Trophy at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Thursday will be more than just a game for 14-year-old ball-boy P Prasanna.
Prasanna, a Class IX student at the DD Vinayagar Higher Secondary School in Ramanathapuram, had tragically lost his father, K Palani -a havildar (gunner) --during the Indo-China clash at the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in June 2020. The teenager is among 20 youngsters selected for the ball-boys' role in the six-team tournament that starts on Thursday.
Prasanna couldn't control his emotions when asked how he would feel about the Chinese team while performing his ball-boy duties. "I don't know, let me see if I am among the eight selected for the game," Prasanna said, with tears in his eyes. "But my ultimate goal is to preserve the good name that my father earned by achieving great things in hockey," Prasanna, who took to the sport a few years ago, told TOI on Tuesday.
His father Palani was honoured posthumously with the Vir Chakra in January 2021." I have the motivation to make it big in hockey one day. I will use the ACT to learn the nuances of the sport. Not many will get the opportunity to watch the players from close quarters. As a ball boy, I can do it. I would like to make the most of the opportunity that I have been presented with," Prasanna added.
Prasanna, a member of the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) Sports Hostel in Ramanathapuram, said that playing hockey has helped him overcome the immense pain that he suffered after losing his father.
"Having watched my friends play the sport, I became interested in hockey. My father supported me in my hockey journey; he took me to the field to train, when he visited home. Now playing hockey is like a balm for me, for a while I forget the pain of losing my father."
