Indian hockey team defender Nilam Sanjeep Xess is a living example of the common phrase 'Where there is a will, there is a way'. The 25-year-old, born in the poverty-stricken village of Sundargarh in Odisha, has worked extremely hard to get to where he is right now, and hardships were second nature to him, given the issues that people living in Tribal regions have to face.
A young Xess stayed in a mud house, also known as a 'khappar makaan' or a 'Kutcha ghar'. They had no electricity or water supply, and every rupee earned or spent mattered.
When he was young, he used to work as a shepherd for his family, grazing goats in the nearby meadows of the village of Kadobahal. But much like most young kids with big dreams, he chose to abandon his post on multiple occasions and go play hockey with his friends instead.
This action of his usually used to upset the family elders and also earn the wrath of his parents while growing up. But upon understanding how talented their youngest son actually is, they began helping out with his tough situation.
In this bad financial scenario, his parents always stood behind Xess. "I got to know much later that to buy hockey sticks my parents borrowed money and sold household items. Now we discuss the old and difficult times," said the 25-year-old Xess.
His parents — Bipin and Jira – would put their resources together to buy their youngest son a new stick. It was the support, resilience and sacrifices like these that propelled Nilam to the national level and then consequently, international hockey. Whatever the situation it could not impact Xess or his hockey stick.
Given his tough upbringing, it is no surprise that the defender is among the regular starters for the national team. He has done well from a young age, helping Odisha to the Junior National title in 2015 and 2016. The same year, he forced his way into the Odisha senior team, which finished third in the Senior Nationals as well.
Joining the senior India team as a 17-year-old, Xess was part of the side that won silver in the South Asian Games in 2016 and also led the country to the Asia Cup U18 title in Bangladesh. He was also a member of the Indian team that won the Olympic Test Event in Tokyo in August 2019.
Xess failed to make the cut for the 2020 Olympics — held in 2021 — after missing out on the 2018 World Cup as well. He had to wait his turn as statemates Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas were regulars in the India backline. With Birendra calling time on his illustrious career, Xess has filled the vacuum and will be eager to excel in what will be his first major tournament, that too in front of his home crowd.
