I was born in a small village called Mainalli in Mundgod taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. I have three siblings. All of us are girls and I am the third child. My sisters were also into sports but had to quit to concentrate on their studies. I am the only one left standing.

When a child, I used to watch my sisters play various sports like kabaddi. As they played, I used to sit on the sidelines and watch them for hours, forgetting about the world around me. I too wanted to play like them. Thankfully, my parents were supportive. I started playing too. Then, when I was nine years old, coaches came to our school and I was selected for the District Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) School in Karwar. My parents enrolled me in the school and the sports hostel.