There was a time when people in Rashdeep Kaur’s village had plenty to say about her. “Kudiyon nu bahar na bhejo, ladko ke saath khel-kood shobha nahi deta,” neighbours would tell her father (Don’t send girls out. It doesn’t look good for them to play sports with boys). In many villages across India, such comments are still common. For some families, they become a reason to pull daughters back. But for one farmer in Punjab’s Sangrur district, those words became the reason to push his daughter forward.Today, the same village that once questioned the girl’s future is celebrating her success. Rashdeep Kaur (23) has been selected for India’s 4x400m relay team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
15 Jun 2026 | 12:57
Is spending lakhs on a child’s birthday party reasonable or insane?
A father who refused to listen to society’s taunts
Rashdeep was just 8 years old when her father, Gurlal Singh, first noticed something special about her. He watched his daughter run during a school athletics event and realised she had natural talent. He began taking Rashdeep to the local ground for training. That decision sparked endless conversations in the village.People questioned why he was spending so much time on a girl. They wondered why she needed to train where boys also played. Some advised him to stop. But Gurlal remained unmoved. In fact, not only did he continue supporting Rashdeep, he also started taking his younger daughters, Sukhveer and Ranjeet Kaur, to the ground. Years later, all three daughters would prove him right. According to The Tribune, when asked about the journey, Gurlal said, “I had belief in my daughters, I let them free,”
Raising daughters without fear
Rashdeep Kaur with her mother. ( Credits: The Tribune)
For many parents, especially in smaller towns and villages, the hardest part along with financial struggles is dealing with what society has to say. Rashdeep’s mother, Gurpinder Kaur, remembers hearing the same comments repeatedly. “People would often say don’t send the girls out. But her father never listened to them.” It would have been easier to agree with the crowd. But Gurlal and Gurpinder chose the difficult route. They chose to trust their daughters.At just 11, Rashdeep left her home and moved to Jalandhar for training. For a young girl, it meant leaving behind her parents, her sisters and the familiar surroundings of village life. While Rashdeep focused on running, another war was being fought quietly at home. Her parents were struggling financially. But they never allowed their daughters to see that struggle. Like many Indian parents, they chose to carry the burden themselves. Accommodation, training expenses, travel costs and what not, they all kept piling up.
The sacrifice Rashdeep didn’t know about
Every successful athlete has a story behind the medals. For Rashdeep, that story includes a mother’s sacrifice that remained hidden for years. Her mother, Gurpinder Kaur, recalls a moment when the family had completely run out of money. There was an important competition ahead. Rashdeep needed to travel. The family did not have enough money. Her mother recalls, “I had to sell my gold chain to arrange a ticket and other things for Rashdeep so that she could participate in a competition.” “Rashdeep didn’t know about it.”
A promise between a mother and daughter
There was, however, one person who knew about the sacrifice. Rashdeep’s youngest sister, Ranjeet. When their mother sold the jewellery, she asked her daughter to keep it a secret. Ranjeet remembers that moment clearly. “When our mother sold her jewellery, she told me not to tell Rashi didi (Rashdeep). That day, I promised her that we’ll buy her several necklaces,” she said. The daughters understood what their parents were doing for them. And they wanted to repay that love through their success.
Learning to ignore the noise
Growing up, criticism was never far away. People always had opinions. What should girls wear? Where should they go? What should they dream about? The sisters learned early that if they listened to every voice around them, they would never move forward. Fortunately, their father kept reminding them where they should shift their focus instead. “He always told us not to pay attention to what people were saying. He said we should focus only on our goals,” the sisters recalled.
The call every parent dreams of
Years of training eventually began translating into results. Rashdeep kept improving. She won the 200m gold at an athletics event in Bengaluru. She topped the 400m event at the Indian Athletics Series and later clocked a personal best of 53.10 seconds in New Delhi. Soon after, the call arrived. Rashdeep had been selected for India’s 4x400m relay team for the Commonwealth Games.For her parents, it was the moment every sacrifice suddenly became worthwhile. The first thing she did was call home. Her words expressed everything, “Our dreams are coming true.” She said ‘our’ because she knew she had never run this race alone.
When society changes its tune
Today, the atmosphere in the village looks very different. The same people who once advised Gurlal Singh not to send his daughters out are now congratulating the family. There are phone calls, visitors, people bringing sweets. Rashdeep’s father accepts the congratulations with a smile. They are coming from the same neighbours who once threw taunts at him for giving her daughter the wings to fly.
Not just a sports story
Rashdeep’s story is not just a sports story. It is also about the power parents have to shape a child’s future. Sometimes, the biggest gift a parent can give is not money, connections or opportunities. It is belief.The belief that their child deserves a chance, even when the world disagrees. It is about a mother who sold her only gold chain without telling her daughter. And it is about a father who ignored the noise around him and trusted his daughters. Rashdeep Kaur’s journey offers a powerful reminder: When families give their daughters freedom, support and faith, there is no finish line they cannot cross.
