PR Sreejesh, India's most prolific hockey goalkeeper, was honoured with the title of 'The Great Wall of India' after some spectacular match-winning saves at the world stage, including Olympics, Commonwealth games and Asian Games. Not to forget his prior achievements of receiving the Arjuna Award in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2017 from the Government of India.
But Sreejesh wasn't the only player in the team with great reflexes or a knack for anticipation. When he steps on the field, blocking the goals of his opponents, his friends, family, and mentors made sure that nothing stops him from achieving his goals.
His parents Ravi and Usha went the extraordinary lengths to ensure his quality coaching, with his father putting extra effort by selling livestock to raise money for his gears.
Prasin, Sreejesh's long-time friend, is his pillar of strength since his school days. He accompanies Sreejesh in most games and makes sure that he doesn't lose focus.
At GV Raja Sports School, coaches Jayakumar and Ramesh Kolappa noticed Sreejesh's extraordinary capabilities. The two played a pivotal role in ensuring Sreejesh picks and excels in his career as a goalkeeper.
Sreejesh's hard work and passion for this sport gave fruitful results when he was called to represent the national hockey team. He turned to his mentor Adrian D'Souza, his mentor and perhaps the closest thing to a role model, who was instrumental in developing Sreejesh's goalkeeping style.
Staying away from home for extended periods sometimes did take a toll on you, but his wife Aneeshya and children Anusree and Sriansh celebrated his wins with him, and that always makes his day better.
While it's PR Sreejesh who is on field saving goals, it's the decisiveness of people around him that help him bring the trophy home.
At HCL, we believe in this power of collective collaboration, and Sreejesh's story is an apt example that helped not only unlock the potential of an individual – but communities at large. We call this human potential multiplied.
