News > ‘Play with an open heart,’ says Padma Shri winner Vandana Katariya

‘Play with an open heart,’ says Padma Shri winner Vandana Katariya

“Play with an open heart and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. We learn from our mistakes so we should not be afraid of them.” Indian women’s hockey team forward Vandana Katariya, the first Indian woman to score a hat-trick in the Olympics, has this piece of advice for the team that finished in third place at the recently concluded 2022 Asia Cup.

The forward, born to a Dalit family with her father working as a master technician for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in Haridwar, was honoured with the Padma Shri this year.