Odisha’s Woman Hockey Star Deep Grace Ekka To Tie Knot On Feb 6

Bhubaneswar: After announcing retirement from international games, legendary hockey player from Odisha, Deep Grace Ekka is now all set to tie the nuptial knot with Indian Army personnel Anoop Lakra on February 6.

As per reports, Ekka, who hails from Lulkidhi village in Sundargarh district, got engaged to Lakra, on January 26. Lakra is a native of Deogaon village of Subdega block, also in Sundargarh.

Ekka is now working in the East Coast Railway (ECoR) while Lakra is in Indian Army. He had also represented Odisha in some national-level hockey matches, sources said.

A highly acclaimed player, Ekka represented Indian women’s hockey team in 268 matches between 2011 and 2023. She announced retirement from international games on January 27.

Born in Sundargarh district, Ekka started playing state-level hockey matches at the age of 13. She played in the National Games at Ranchi in 2011 and got selected for the Junior Asia Cup team in the same year. The 30-year-old player was honoured with Arjun award in 2022.