From Dooars tea garden to France’s Rugby fields, Reema makes it big

: From Dooars tea garden to the Rugby fields of France, Reema Orao has come a long way. The responsibility of the under-15 Rugby team from Bengal that has been invited to play a match in France, rests with Reema.

She hails from Saraswatipur Tea Garden in Jalpaiguri. Reema departed for France on Wednesday as the coach of the under-15 Rugby team. Various organisations and well-wishers have already congratulated her on achieving this goal.

Reema is a resident the Nipania Line of Saraswatipur Tea Garden in Jalpaiguri. She has six sisters and one brother, and both her parents are tea workers, making finances a major challenge.

Undeterred by this, Reema aspired to set an example. At the age of ten, she was introduced to Rugby by coach Roshan Khakha in the tea garden. At that time, participation of girls in sports like Rugby was not encouraged.

Despite these problems, Reema embraced rugby. In 2013, she made it to the under-14 team. After leading the national Rugby team as captain in 2017, the 23-year-old Reema now coaches “Khelo Rugby” team. Roshan Khakha, who is Reema’s mentor, remarked: “I recognised the potential in these underprivileged girls from the tea plantations and started their training. I’m delighted with Reema’s current success.”

Roshan expressed his intention to initiate Rugby coaching at Oodlabari tea garden in Dooars, aiming to unearth more talent.

On Wednesday morning, Reema departed for France along with her 14-member team. This year, the Rugby World Cup will be hosted in France. Prior to that, the “Khelo Rugby” club’s under-15 team, consisting of 14 players, received an invitation to a prestigious competition in France.

Exuding confidence in her coaching role, Reema said: “The competition will commence on September 2 and run till September 7. I am convinced of the team’s victory and my goal is to make my country proud in France. The final preparations are complete and now we are eagerly waiting to step into the field.”