Rourkela: Who would have thought that a State where people touch the snow only in dreams, will produce a snow-girl one day! As exciting as it may sound, Ranjita Behera from steel city Rourkela will become the first person from Odisha to represent the State in Snow Skiing Skier event in the upcoming Khelo India Winter Games set to be held in Gulmarg, Jammu next month.
Ranjita, stepping into the Snow Games, ideally means Odisha would also be placing its first step in the arena of Snow and Ice Sports of the country.
Ranjita has certainly made everyone proud by representing the State in the second Khelo India National Winter Games, 2021 to be held at Gulmarg, J&K from February 19-25, 2021, in the Alpine Ski event.
This apart, she will also represent Odisha in the Senior National Ski and Snowboard Championship 2021 to be held in Uttarakhand from February 26-28, 2021. She happens to be the only qualified skier of the State for this event, sources said.
Ranjita's keen interest in adventure sports prompted her to undergo different adventure trainings after completion of her graduation. Her father Raghunath Behera is a retired employee of Rourkela Steel Plant. She is also an NCC ‘C’ certificate holder from the Directorate of NCC, Odisha.
In an exclusive interview with OTV, the snowgirl narrated the journey so far and her plans ahead.
"My adventure journey started in 2016, and I did a Snow Skiing course two years later. It is after the training that I was able to build myself step by step. I will be participating in the Slalom event. It's an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. I will also be participating in Ski Mountaineering in the coming days," she said.
On how she developed an interest in adventure, Ranjita stated, "I'm a holder of NCC 'C' Certificate, and that was over before I completed my graduation. My aim is to become an Army officer. Adventure sports was somewhere hidden in me, I always wanted to be different from others. I haven't thought about the Olympics as yet, but I want to cross every hurdle that comes my way."
"This event is likely to witness participation of around 150 people. This is my first step. I am as nervous as I am excited. A participant always wants to come home with a medal. I will give my best to earn a medal," she added.
Congratulating the 'snowgirl' for her upcoming events, Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Tusharkanti Behera said, “It is a moment of pride for us that Ranjita Behera will be the first Odia from the state to participate in Snow Games. This is no small feat considering Odisha’s terrain and climate. With sheer grit and hard work, she has achieved this. Her dedication to be a Skier is commendable and we will extend all necessary support to her to excel and win medals. She will be an inspiration for others, especially young girls, who may have dreams to follow the sport of skiing.”
Ranjita was the one amongst the final team members of the first Biju Patnaik Himalayan Expedition-2016 to Mt. Rudugaira organized by Sports department. She has successfully completed the Method of Instruction courses in Mountaineering and Snow skiing from the reputed training Institutes of India. Apart from this, she has completed the Trip India Leader and Wilderness First Responder courses from the prestigious National Outdoor Leadership School, USA having its training area in Indian Himalayas.