Ranchi:
She was one of the young and promising faces on the Indian archery circuit, winning laurels and medals for the nation. That was back in 2007. Now, all the hopes and dreams of Nisha Rani are dying a painful death. Languishing in abject poverty, the 21-year-old from Pathmada village in the Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand has been forced to sell her bow and thus, her dreams as well.
"I am from a very poor family. My home was made of mud which got damaged. We didn't have money, so I sold the bow," she says. It was a bow that she treasured - her Korean coach had, impressed by her talent, gifted it to her. But compelled by circumstances, Nisha sold the Rs four lakh bow for a mere Rs 50,000 to a budding archer from Manipur.
Her story is eerily similar to that of several sportspersons who faded into oblivion due to poverty. She was the Overall Sikkim Champion in 2006. She also won the silver medal in the South Asian Championship held in Jharkhand and was part of the bronze-winning team in Bangkok Grand Prix in 2006. She also bagged the Best Player Award in the Asian Grand Prix in Taiwan in 2007.
Now, Nisha, the second among three daughters, is currently living away from home with her younger sister, trying to survive bankruptcy and hoping to achieve unrealised aims. "She wanted to become something through sports, but it couldn't happen due to poverty," says her younger sister Usha.
Recalling the hard times that she had to face, Nisha says that she also suffered from a bout of depression for long due to poverty. "I wanted to become something, that's why I got my younger sister married, but I didn't marry."
But Nisha, who has been part of the archery teams of Tata Steel and Mittal Group, hasn't given up yet. She is hopeful that she will get monetary support from the government. "I still hope that the government thinks for me," she says.
How you can help:
Send your cheques to -
Nisha Rani Dutta
Branch: SBI Patamda, Jamshedpur
Account number: 31938440606.
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