"Having a choice to live my passion in a world full of critics makes me get out of my bed every morning to chase my dreams."

As a child, Soliha Yousuf had the habit of being in the right place at the wrong time. Seeking to avoid a dreaded physics test, she found herself on the sports field, admiring a game being coached to some fellow students by the school trainers. She found out that this game was called Rugby, did a pretty good job at it on her first attempt and fell in love for a lifetime. Today, she is the coach and captain of J&K Women's Rugby.

"Being a girl and still excelling at a male-dominated sport like rugby, at national and international level, I have never felt any better! It's been 10 years now that I have been associated with this sport and I still love it with the same passion."

Soliha has one rule: if people criticize you too much for being different, it's because they are resistant to change and it's not because you're wrong. "I am too stubborn to do what others expect me to do. I am very Ziddi when it comes to make choices about my life and if it's about rugby, there are no second thoughts. I just go for it."

In a traditionally conservative society, Soliha has had the good fortune of having a very supportive family network. Her mother has always been her biggest fan, even encouraging her to take up the rough sport of Rugby even though Soliha excelled at cricket in school and that would have been the safer, more popular choice. "Having a choice to live my passion in a world full of critics helps me get out of my bed every morning to chase my dreams."

Soliha now coaches over 600 young future Rugby stars and is delighted that she can give back to society while following her dreams. "India is a country where people are full of talent and can take our nation to the top with the right support."

So, what drives Soliha's Zidd?

"Breaking stereotypes about a woman's place in a game like rugby really keeps me going. I want rugby to be the next popular sport in the country and I want youngsters to choose the sport with a future vision and not just as a hobby."