Indian junior team captain Uttam Singh is living his father’s dream of playing hockey for the country, fulfilling an aspiration that was abandoned at the death of the patriarch of a poor family.

“My father played hockey for six years at school and nourished a dream that every young player has, but he had to give it up the game at the age of 17 as my grandfather passed away and the entire family’s responsibility fell on my father. We lived in a mud house and he had two unmarried sisters to look after,” said Uttam.