Ever since CInI, Tata Trusts and Bovelander Foundation started the grassroots Hockey Program in Govt. High School, Ganaloya village at Khunti. Mangra Dodray, a young Munda Tribal boy then a 6th Std. Student joined the hockey training in the school. This was the first time he was playing with a good hockeystick and getting opportunities to train with trainers.
In his family, father Abhiram Dodray and mother Fulani’s main occupation are farming and wage labour. His parents had to support a family of 7 persons, as Mangra has 4 brothers and 1 sister. All his brothers played hockey with a home made bamboo sticks on the village ground.
For two years he was enjoying hockey training at grassroots after school. Playing Inter school league and interacting with the legends helped him to develop the passion for hockey more. In January 2018 the selection for the first batch of boys RDC was going on. With his hockey skills he was able to impress the Dutch selectors and was in the first batch of RDC Khunti. He shared this news with his parents. His father said “If you like playing hockey, go play don’t think too much about us at home”. With these words he even bought him a good fibre hockey stick.
Mangra said that his RDC years were very challenging as he had to manage his studies and hockey training. Especially during the training days as he had to cycle back home after school at 1:30 then have quick lunch, change, take the hockey kit and had to reach Khunti Astroturf by 2:30 PM all by bicycle.
One of his RDC coaches Sumit Batham said “Mangra was outspoken and fun loving. He was the only one who would ask questions about the training in the group; because of this his development as a player has progressed rapidly”.
Mangra with time has grown as a hockey player, he became a regular member of the RDC team. As a RDC player he played tournaments like SNVP National Tournament, Pune and Jharkhand State Sub-Junior Tournament at Jamshedpur; his hard work was rewarded when in August 2019 he was selected as one of the players to play for NTHA Jamshedpur in the Nehru Sub-Junior National Tournament at Delhi.
Mangra is a player who has grown from grassroots to the absolute top of the RDC group within 3 years. This year he was rewarded with an offer to join the Gumla Hockey State Hostel but he is still trying hard to get into NTHA Jamshedpur.