With a 34-26 win over Kalinga Black Tigers in match 25, the Bengaluru Bravehearts did not just seal their semi-final berth in the maiden season of Rugby Premier League. They also had the 25-year-old Arpan Chhetri scoring his first try. The Bengal and India player has had a remarkable journey from the hills of Sikkim to international reckoning, and aspires to take the Bravehearts all the way to the title this time.
Chhetri, a sports management graduate, started playing rugby in 2008. He professionally took up the sport in 2014, representing Bengal before playing for India in 2022. A third division 15s tournament in Kolkata (against Bangladesh and Nepal) was his first international exposure. He was a member of the victorious Bengal team that clinched the 12th Rugby National Championship in Guwahati in April.
What prompted him to take up the sport as a youngster? "I am from the hills, so I like adventurous things. For me rugby is like an adventure. You have to work hard, you hit, and you can get hit.
"I was the captain of my school football team and a left-arm fast bowler in cricket too. I can play any sport. But I love rugby. It has taught me so much in life, most importantly to never give up," Chhetri said at the post-match press conference after Bravehearts' win over the Black Tigers.
He elaborated on the life lessons: "In rugby and in life, no matter how badly and how many times you fall, you have to stand up and go again. You cannot stay down. You have to get up and keep going. Then only you can succeed."
And succeeded Chhetri has, rising from the grassroots to rub shoulders with the senior pros. "Playing with the legends was a dream. Now it's a reality. There is so much to learn from them skill-wise, strength-wise, their sportsmanship. My job is just to support them so that we can win the tournament."
While he's learning from some of the best in the business, Chhetri has experience of mentoring budding talent himself. He worked as a coach and physical education teacher in Kolkata's South City International School for a year, and now teaches 'charity boys' rugby, football and fitness.
The young ones no doubt look up to him and seek his counsel on how to make inroads into the national team. "They always message me, asking what they can do to be in the rugby team, asking for guidance. I try to help them with everything."
Not just his wards, Chhetri feels that many others will be inspired to take up the sport after the onset of the league. "Earlier, it was not that popular, but after this league I think rugby will grow, in fact it is growing. Whenever I scroll Instagram or YouTube, I see rugby only. It was not there before." He thanks former international player and current Rugby India president Rahul Bose for "doing so much" for the sport.
Chhetri also believes that if rugby can reach Sikkim, the state can produce great players due to their innate athletic ability.
