Lovlina Borgohain Urges Village Children to Dream Big, Citing Olympic Success Amidst Struggle

Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain has urged children growing up in India’s villages to shed their fear of aiming high and to start chasing big dreams, no matter the circumstances. The boxer from Assam, who rose from a modest background to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, believes her story proves that inspiration can spark change far beyond one individual.“Many children from villages who did not dream as adults are able to think about it now. The story of one can inspire the story of thousands. I just say start dreaming,” Lovlina said in a heartfelt conversation on Game On, hosted by Preeti Dhaiya.From Tea Garden to Boxing RingLovlina grew up near a tea garden in Assam where her father worked to support the family. Boxing was never the obvious choice. “My father used to work in a tea garden. He brought sweets from there to the house. I came to know about Muhammad Ali in the newspaper used as a wrapper for the sweets,” she recalled. But with no sports facilities in her village, her path seemed unclear.“There were no sports centres in our village. My mother initially asked me to learn martial arts for self-defence. But somewhere in my mind I had thought that I should become a boxer. Time gave me an opportunity and I took it,” she said.Breaking Mental BarriersAdjusting to life outside her village was a struggle. Joining the Sports Authority of India hostel in Guwahati, Lovlina encountered challenges — language barriers, financial stress, and mental pressures.“When I started, I faced a lot of difficulties because I came from a village. Our environment was not conducive to dreaming big — we were happy with small things. Farming was done at home, everything was self-sufficient. So it was very difficult to think beyond that,” she explained.But one dream stayed alive: the Olympics. “I had a dream of going to the Olympics. All the hurdles I faced in achieving it seemed small,” she said, adding that she often reminded herself that true change begins in the mind. “We only dream small. If we dream big, only then will we be able to achieve something big in life.”Olympics Glory and Change Back HomeThat dream culminated in her historic bronze medal at Tokyo in 2021, which not only gave Assam its first woman Olympic medallist but also transformed her village.“When I went to the Olympics, till then there was no proper road in our village. But when I returned with a medal, by then a big road had been built till my house. We even got water facilities after that. It was very special for me,” she said with pride.A Message to the Next GenerationLovlina insists her journey is proof that children from even the most remote corners of India can rise to global heights. “Dreaming big is not easy. People will say it’s impossible, you will doubt yourself, but still you must keep that dream alive. Even if one person breaks through, hundreds will follow,” she said.Her story, she believes, belongs not only to her but to every child learning to dream. “If I can do it, anyone can. You just need to believe and take the first step,” she said.Catch the latest episodes on TOI platforms and YouTube.