Dheeressh makes time for family amid relentless demands

PETALING JAYA: Opportunities to celebrate Deepavali with his family are rare for national junior hockey player Dheeressh Gunaseelan (pic), so he is determined to make the most of this year’s festivities.

The 17-year-old has barely had time to catch his breath after helping Malaysia end a 15-year wait for the Sultan of Johor Cup title last month and is already back in action with TNB Thunderbolts in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Despite his packed schedule, Dheeressh has been given a short break to celebrate the Festival of Lights with his loved ones before returning to club duties.

For him, Deepavali is not about extravagant celebrations but the simple pleasure of having the family together under one roof.

“Normally, we don’t do anything much. Deepavali is all about family time, cooking and enjoying ourselves,” said Dheeressh.

“We always celebrate at our house, where we invite the whole family over and my parents do the cooking.

“Part of the preparations includes cleaning the house and the altar. Our aim this year is the same, which is to have a nice time with the family.”

However, the celebrations will be brief as Thunderbolts are still fighting to keep their hopes of reaching the TNB Cup semi-finals alive.

Dheeressh must turn his attention back to hockey for their crucial clash against Maybank on Wednesday, following a narrow 5-4 defeat to Territory Stingers on Thursday.

He was among the scorers against Stingers, finding the net with Thunderbolts’ third goal, but could not prevent his side from slipping to defeat.

“We played against Territory Stingers on Thursday but unfortunately lost. I managed to score our third goal and we tried to make a comeback.

“We were trailing 3-5 and managed to close the gap to 4-5, but there wasn’t enough time to catch up,” he said.

With another important match approaching, Dheeressh is grateful that his coaches understand the importance of allowing players to spend time with their families during festive occasions.

“My coaches are very nice and understanding.

“We are taking the day off on Deepavali and probably the day after as well, although we might meet in the evening for a meeting or some short penalty-corner training to prepare for the next game,” he said.