Malti: The Four-Time National Hockey Player Who Became Lucknow's First Woman Rickshaw Driver
LUCKNOW: Some stories are not written in record books. They are lived on the streets, in the quiet hours before dawn, and in the stubborn refusal to give up. This is the story of Malti — a woman who once wore India's colours on the hockey field, and today wears a driver's seat belt on the roads of Lucknow.
She is a former four-time national hockey player, a former sports officer at Babu Banarasi Das Engineering College, and a single mother who rebuilt her life from scratch. When life knocked her down, she did not just get up — she got behind the wheel and drove forward.
🏑 The Girl Who Started at Six
Malti's connection with hockey began when she was just six years old. While other children played in the lanes of her neighbourhood, she found her calling on the hockey field. It was a sport she loved deeply — and she was good at it.
“I started playing at the age of six. It was a sport that I was deeply interested in. I even got the chance to play at the state level,” she recalled in a conversation with digital creator Sonali Singh.
She travelled to different states for matches — Agra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha — and describes those years as the “golden period” of her life. Playing as a centre forward, she was a force to be reckoned with. People would place bets on how many goals she would score. “It was exciting and scary at the same time,” she says.
🏅 Her Hockey Career: Representing India Four Times
Malti's talent took her to the highest level of Indian hockey. She represented her country at the national level four times, playing as a centre forward.
Her National Appearances
- First National: Bhubaneswar, Odisha
- Second National: Agra, Uttar Pradesh
- Third & Fourth Nationals: Various locations across India
She also spent time at the prestigious K.D. Singh Babu Stadium hostel in Lucknow — a hub for sporting excellence in Uttar Pradesh. Her performances on the field earned her respect and recognition among her peers and coaches.
Medals for India: What We Know
While the exact medal count from her national appearances is not fully documented in public records, Malti is celebrated as a four-time national hockey player — a distinction that itself represents years of dedication, sacrifice, and elite-level performance. She also won medals in athletics during her sporting career, demonstrating her all-round athletic ability.
💔 When Life Changed Overnight
But while her sporting career was rising, her personal life was about to take a devastating turn.
Malti's father did not support her hockey ambitions. In a family with no sons, the pressure to marry her off early was immense. In 2000, when she was still in her mid-teens, she was married.
The marriage was not happy. Malti has spoken openly about the verbal and physical abuse she endured. In 2004, she gave birth to her son. But even motherhood did not change her circumstances.
After her son was born, Malti made the bravest decision of her life: she left. She moved back to her parents' home, determined to raise her son on her own terms. She also made a symbolic choice — she dropped her husband's surname. “I don't need it for anything. I have been living on my own. Even my son has been brought up solely by me, then why should I carry his surname?” she said.
📚 From Hockey Field to University Campus
With a son to raise and no financial support, Malti needed a job. Hockey was the only thing she knew well — so she decided to turn her passion into a profession.
In 2005, she applied for a coaching position at Babu Banarasi Das University (then Babu Banarasi Das Engineering College) in Lucknow. She started coaching the girls' hockey team and later became a sports officer at the institution.
For two years, she balanced her role as a coach, a sports officer, and a single mother. But fate had other plans. In 2007, her son fell seriously ill, and she had to tender her resignation. Her dreams of a stable career in sports education came crashing down.
🚗 The First Woman Rickshaw Driver in Lucknow
It was 2013. With no job and a child to feed, Malti made a decision that would make history.
She started driving an e-rickshaw on the streets of Lucknow. At the time, she was the only woman doing this job in the entire city.
The first day was terrifying. But it was also liberating.
Not everyone welcomed her. “Some people laughed and some refused to sit in my rickshaw,” she recalls. Her own father cried when he saw her driving. “He didn't want me to drive a rickshaw,” she says.
But Malti persisted. She ignored the comments, the stares, and the rejection. Over time, things changed. People began to respect her. She eventually moved from an e-rickshaw to an autorickshaw, and she has now been in the profession for 15 years.
⏳ Malti's Life: A Timeline
🌟 More Than a Driver: A Pioneer for Women
Malti's impact goes far beyond her own survival. She has become a symbol of women's empowerment in Lucknow. She has taught other women to drive — and some of them are driving today.
“I have taught some women to drive. Even today, some women are driving,” she says with quiet pride.
Her story is a reminder that talent does not disappear when circumstances change. It simply finds a new field to play on.
But Malti also carries a deep sense of disappointment. “Because a girl who works so hard, and today she is on a rickshaw, the government should be ashamed of itself,” she says. It is a painful truth: India lost a promising hockey player not because she lacked talent, but because the system failed to support her.
💡 What Young Readers Can Learn from Malti
- Resilience is a skill. Malti lost her career, her marriage, and her financial stability — but she never lost her will to fight.
- Your identity is yours. She dropped her husband's surname because she no longer needed it. She built her own identity.
- Be the first. Being the first woman rickshaw driver in Lucknow was not easy. But someone had to do it — and she did.
- Teach others. Malti didn't just survive; she taught other women to drive so they could earn their own living.
- Speak your truth. She has spoken openly about abuse, struggle, and the system that failed her. Her honesty is her power.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
❓ How many times did Malti play for India in hockey?
Malti represented India at the national level four times as a centre forward. Her first national tournament was in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and her second was in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
❓ Did Malti win any medals for India?
Malti is a four-time national hockey player, a distinction that represents elite-level performance. She also won medals in athletics during her sporting career. While exact medal counts from her national appearances are not fully documented in public records, her four national selections themselves are a significant achievement in Indian hockey.
❓ Why did Malti leave her hockey career?
After an abusive marriage and the responsibility of raising her son alone, Malti had to resign from her position as a sports officer at Babu Banarasi Das Engineering College in 2007. She then turned to driving an e-rickshaw to support her family.
❓ Was Malti really the first woman rickshaw driver in Lucknow?
Yes. When Malti started driving an e-rickshaw in Lucknow in 2013, she was the only woman doing that job in the city. She later moved to driving an autorickshaw and has been in the profession for over 15 years.
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