Just do

Just do what you love

A NSW State Netball and Basketball player, NSW State Band Champion, Bhangra dancer and singer, Ruhani is also sitting for her HSC in what has been a tumultuous year with COVID-19.

“It has been a challenge trying to juggle my music, dance and netball commitments, alongside studying. This year in particular has been really tough, given I am in Year 12 and how COVID-19 has coincided with my final year in high school.”

At its peak, just before COVID-19 hit, Ruhani’s schedule involved netball training three times a week, Bhangra rehearsals three times a week, and Band practice up to four times a week, in addition to school and tuition. At school, she is part of the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Stage Band, which also involves rehearsals before and after school.

Ruhani says the only way she is keeping her head above water is constant reminders from her parents to focus on what’s most important or due immediately. “We often wonder how we fit it all in. My parents take turns to get me to my rehearsals and training on time. It sometimes means eating or studying in the car while getting from one place to another.”

As a direct consequence of this commitment, some of Ruhani’s most notable accolades in sports include:

In 2016 and 2018, Ruhani represented NSW in Indoor Netball and travelled to Melbourne and the Gold Coast to play for a National title.

She won Player of the Final in the NSW 2019- 2020 Metro Super League Netball.

At the 2019 Australian Sikh Games, Ruhani was awarded the Supreet Kaur Scholarship for excellence in netball.She represented the Hills

District Netball Association between 2014 and 2018, representing the State twice.

In 2017, she won the Under 15’s NSW Combined High Schools Netball State Championships in Wollongong.

Between 2011 and 2018, Ruhani played for Beecroft Netball Club and won three grand finals as the team’s shooter.

She now plays in the Dooleys Metro League, one of the premier netball competitions in NSW.

In basketball, Ruhani played with the Hornsby Spiders and took out the Under 12 Girls NSW Basketball Junior State Championship, remaining undefeated against Illawarra, Dubbo, Sutherland, Newcastle.

“I draw my inspiration in sports from both my Dad and Mum. My Dad still plays cricket today

and is respected for the maturity he brings to the game. He was also a fantastic kabbadi player in his early years - representing Australia in Canada and New Zealand. My Mum is a long-distance runner and showed me that anything is possible when she trained for six months to run her first half-marathon. I think role models are so important for children - to encourage them and show them what is possible.”

When asked what got her into music, Ruhani said, “I have grown up in a family that loves singing and music in general. My parents 5sing more than they talk. When I was eight years old, I attended a band orientation at school and expressed my interest in becoming a percussionist because I really loved the drums.”

Today Ruhani is a percussionist and plays a wide variety of instruments including the marimba, xylophone, timpani, and drum kit. During her free time, she turns to her guitar which she taught herself to play and breaks into a song.

Ruhani’s commitment to music has resulted in the following accomplishments:

In 2018, Ruhani was named the Under 19 Percussion Champion at the NSW State Band Solos and Party Championships.

In 2018, she completed her Trinity Guildhall Orchestral Percussion Grade 8 with a Distinction.

In 2016, she was the awarded Juvenile Percussion Champion of the Year at the NSW State Band Solos and Party Championships.

In 2014, Ruhani went on her first international music tour to Singapore with the Beecroft Primary School Senior Concert Band.

Between 2011 to 2019, she was part of a percussion ensemble called Drumfill which performed around Australia and won multiple awards.

Ruhani was also a part of the Northern Sydney Youth Orchestra between 2014 and 2019.

Linking her passion for music and sports to the community, in 2017, Ruhani joined a Bhangra group as a junior member and quickly progressed to the intermediate and senior levels. “I’ve always loved dancing as it’s a great form of fitness and stress-relief. I started off with Bollywood dancing at the age of four but then found my cultural roots through my love for Bhangra. I also feel that it is so important to stay connected to your culture and community. I’ve enjoyed helping Sikh Youth Australia, starting with Sikh to Give where we collect pre-loved clothes and sell them to raise funds for the less fortunate, the Divine Steps Festival in 2019 and more recently with the production of the world’s first shabad video collaboration.

“My parents have always encouraged me to follow my passion without applying any pressure to excel. For them, all that matters is that I am doing what I love most. They’ve also never said no to anything I want to do and constantly give me a million (but super useful) pep talks before all matches and exams.”

Looking ahead, Ruhani’s dream is to become a professional musician. “I’m not sure yet if that means I will be a performer or a teacher, but I would love to pursue a career in music. I know that most people associate success with being a doctor, engineer or lawyer but I’m so thankful that is not how my family thinks. My advice to all youngsters would be to just do what you love because that’s what you will do your best in.”

“I will continue to play netball for as long as I can, and would love to start coaching younger girls within our community. It would be amazing to see more Indian and Sikhs girls make it to National and State level so they can become beacons of our cultural heritage that is so deeply rooted in sports and music.”

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