by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
A native of a small village called Dornahalli in K.R. Nagar Taluk, Mysuru district, this talented volleyball player has represented the country’s Senior Women as well as Junior Women volleyball teams.
She was part of the Senior Women’s Volleyball Team which took part in the Asian Senior Championship held at China in 2013. This talented player is none other than Nishya Joseph, who received the prestigious Ekalavya award for her achievements in volleyball.
Having completed her primary education at her native, Nishya joined the Sports Hostel-Vidyanagar in Bengaluru where she completed her secondary education. Later, she came to Mysuru and joined the Sports Hostel and completed her PU and Under-Graduation at Teresian College.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Nishya Joseph said that it was a dream come true for her to be receiving the award. “It is a proud moment for me to be receiving the prestigious Ekalavya award. Even my parents and other relatives wanted to see me receiving the award and today I have fulfil their dreams,” she said.
Talking about the support extended by her family, Nishya said that her father Joseph wanted her to take up volleyball and added that her uncle, Vijaykumar, who works as a Physical Education teacher, helped her in the game as she had the perfect physique and height.
“As per my uncle’s instructions I took up volleyball and here I am today. Currently, I am focusing on being a part of the Senior Women’s Volleyball Team,” Nishya said.
Being a part of the Indian Railway Team, Nishya works as a Ticket Collector for Indian Railways at Pune in Maharashtra. When asked about shifting base from Karnataka to Maharashtra, Nishya said that there is not much job opportunities for sportspersons in Karnataka which was the main reason for her to shift to Pune.
“The State Government has to encourage sportspersons by providing jobs in public sectors. There are other States which have been encouraging achievers in sports by providing jobs and other facilities. But in our State it is not the same. Even the facilities provided for volleyball is not up to the mark. Though we have sports hostels yet there is a need for more infrastructure to compete at the international level,” she added.
Joseph Mari, Nishya’s father, said that it was a proud moment to see her daughter receive the award. “Majority in our family are involved in one or the other sport. But till date none of them have grown to a level where Nishya has reached. It feels good to see my daughter making us proud through her achievements. I hope she would continue with her efforts and play at much higher level and bring laurels to our country,” he adds.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / May 14th, 2016