'I didn’t eat for days when my family stopped me from playing rugby': How Bhumika fought family resistance to become an Indian player
India rugby player Bhumika Shukla opens up on family resistance, her mother’s sacrifices, and her rise from Jaipur to the national team.
There was a time when Bhumika Shukla had to wait for her father to leave for work before stepping out to train. She would quietly pick up her kit, rush to the ground, and spend hours practising rugby with boys because there were no girls left in training. In Jaipur’s industrial neighbourhoods, a teenage girl wearing shorts and playing a collision sport was enough to trigger whispers, warnings, and resistance. Today, the same girl is one of India’s brightest rugby prospects, a national team player, and among the most talked-about names in the Rugby Premier League setup.
But the road from those dusty grounds in Jaipur to wearing India colours was anything but smooth. “I used to play secretly when my father went to work,” Bhumika recalled during an exclusive interaction with WION. “People in our area used to tell him, ‘Why are you sending your daughter to play with boys? What if she gets injured?’”
For many Indian athletes, sporting journeys begin with encouragement. For Bhumika, it began with resistance. She did not even know rugby existed in India when she first stumbled into the sport during school trials. Initially, she was playing Australian football before coaches noticed her pace and asked her to try rugby instead.
“I became the best player in the trials, and from then, I started loving rugby,” she said. At that point, she barely understood the rules. “All I knew was that I had to take the ball and run to the try line,” she laughed. That innocence quickly turned into obsession. Her first state-level tournament in 2019 brought fear and fascination together. Watching players tackle aggressively scared her initially, but once she stepped onto the field, instinct took over. “My focus was simple: run to the other side and score before anyone could catch me,” she said.
The bigger challenge, however, was never on the field. Her father strongly opposed her decision to continue in rugby. Bhumika remembers being called back home from training sessions and repeatedly being told that the sport had no future for girls. When she earned her first national camp selection in 2020, her family did not allow her to travel. “I was so upset that I stopped eating for five or six days,” she revealed. What kept her going was her mother. In one of the most emotional moments of the conversation, Bhumika revealed that her mother mortgaged jewellery to support her rugby dreams. “She gave me money for studs, sportswear, and training shoes,” Bhumika said. “She always fought for me.”
That sacrifice changed everything. In 2021, Bhumika attended her first India U-18 camp in Bhubaneswar. She was nervous, intimidated, and eventually cut in the very first week. But failure became fuel. “I understood my weaknesses from that camp,” she said. “The next year, I improved myself and got selected for India.” Today, the same father who once resisted her rugby journey proudly shares her achievements on Instagram.
Bhumika still smiles when recalling the moment she was picked by Mumbai Dreamers at one of the highest bids in the Rugby Premier League setup. “I couldn’t believe it myself,” she said. “When I told my father, he asked me to send him pictures, and he shared them proudly with everyone.” Yet, there is no bitterness in her voice. If anything, she believes the struggle sharpened her hunger. “If my father had supported me from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t have been this motivated to prove myself,” she admitted.
Bhumika now sees rugby entering a transformative phase in India. With leagues, international exposure, and foreign players joining the ecosystem, she believes Indian rugby players can finally dream bigger. She is especially excited about learning from overseas stars and preparing for bigger tournaments like the Asian Games. “When we stay with world-level players, we learn how a proper athlete’s life is scheduled,” she said. “We can improve our weaknesses and compete better.”
Despite her rise, Bhumika knows rugby still fights for attention in a cricket-obsessed nation. “People in India should support other sports too,” she said. “There are many people who still don’t know what rugby is.” That ignorance often comes with misconceptions. Many still see rugby as dangerously violent, something Bhumika strongly rejects. “Don’t be afraid of tackles,” she said. “Rugby has safety rules. The danger people imagine is not the reality. It is an enjoyable sport.”
And perhaps that perfectly captures her journey, too. From being the girl questioned for wearing shorts and training with boys to becoming one of India’s emerging rugby faces, Bhumika Shukla’s story is ultimately about courage, not just to play a sport, but to choose an unconventional dream in a country still learning to value it.
