From the cramped, winding lanes of Sion Koliwada to the pride of wearing Mumbai’s colours, Akansha Rajkumar Singh’s journey is measured not in distance, but in quiet, unseen sacrifice. Every dawn she rose before the city stirred, every comfort she set aside, every struggle she chose not to speak about, all of it carried her forward.
Hockey did more than open doors; it altered the rhythm of an entire household. Today, it has earned her a position at Union Bank in Nariman Point, not just a job, but something deeply personal: a way to give back to the belief that sustained her when resources could not.
The girl who grew up in the close quarters of a chawl now lives in a three-bedroom flat in Panvel, a space that reflects years of patience, resilience and a promise quietly made long before she knew how she would fulfil it.
A student of Guru Nanak Nagar High School, Sion Mumbai, Akansha’s journey from those narrow lanes to corporate corridors was anything but linear. It was built on compromises, most of them silent.
Her recent appearance on Wheel of Fortune, hosted by Akshay Kumar, may have brought her national attention. But long before the lights and applause, there were years that nobody saw. Growing up in Sion Koliwada, life was never extraordinary, and perhaps that was its greatest test. “It was a life everyone in a chawl lives,” she recalls. “Nothing dramatic… but nothing easy either.”
What she remembers most is not hardship, but what her family quietly gave up so that she could pursue her dreams. Her father, a rickshaw driver, and her elder brothers stretched every rupee. School fees were a monthly balancing act, often paid at the cost of something else.
“That is my only regret,” she says softly. “My parents struggled to pay my school fees. But that struggle became my motivation.” Her introduction to hockey came through a simple choice from her PT teacher, Virendra Sit — badminton or hockey. One required money. The other required just a stick. “That stick changed my life.”
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She went on to represent Mumbai, sharing the field with Jemimah Rodrigues during school competitions, a memory she carries with quiet pride. Her path then led her to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhopal, a step she almost didn’t take. “I didn’t want to apply at first,” she admits. “But I did… and I got through.”
She went on to play two nationals for Mumbai — her journey steady, determined, and largely unseen. Former India captain Dhanraj Pillay believes stories like hers define Indian sport. “There are so many players training with full dedication who never get recognition. When someone like Akansha is seen, it represents all of them.”
That sentiment is echoed by Rani Rampal. “Every player carries sacrifice. When one story comes out, it stands for many others still unseen.” Because this is not just Akansha’s story. It is about a family’s quiet endurance, a teacher’s practical choice and a young girl who never asked for sympathy, only an opportunity.
Even now, her journey is far from finished. But wherever it leads, it will always carry those unseen years, the sacrifices that made everything else possible.
BY JOE WILLIAMS
