Jaipur, Dec. 4 -- Nikita Toppo, captain of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) women's hockey team, is an epitome of American educator Jaime Escalante's philosophy, stating, "Life is not about how many times you fall down. It is about how many times you get back up".

The 22-year-old lost both her parents when she was just five, and one of her elder brothers died in a fatal accident when she was on her way to the U-23 Five-Nations Cup in Ireland three years ago. A year later, she suffered a career-threatening injury and soon after, her only remaining brother met with an accident and suffered a skull injury from which he has not completely recovered yet.

But instead of getting bogged down by a series of setbacks, Nikita ...