At the grand age of 86, Chandro Tomar stands upright with her arm perfectly straight, holding an air pistol.
Even in old age, her eyesight does not fail her.
Dressed in a white shirt, blue skirt and a scarf covering her head, she aims at a target from a distance of 10 metres. A moment of pause and she hits the bull's eye.
She hails from Uttar Pradesh, which has witnessed several so-called "honour killings" in recent years and has been named by media as one of India's most dangerous states for women.
Tomar, who discovered her passion for shooting when she turned 65, has earned the nickname "Revolver Dadi", or "Revolver Granny".
Like many other grandmothers in India, day by day, she cooks for her family, tends to cattle, milks the cows and takes care of the mounds of cow dung.
But in addition to the daily grind, this granny - who is the oldest known sharpshooter in India and often cited as the world's oldest female sharpshooter - trains hundreds of young boys and girls in her favourite skill.
At the age when people usually retire, Tomar began a new journey.
"Though my neighbours and relatives mocked me at first when they saw me shooting, my success made them think otherwise," she tells.
She recalls the day when she accompanied her granddaughter, Shifali Tomar, to the shooting range. Shifali only half-heartedly practised at the Johri Rifle Club.
"It was 1999," says Tomar. "My granddaughter was afraid of going to the Rifle Club alone so she asked me to come along. I told her to learn shooting and excel in it and make us proud. She was not that interested. I casually picked up a pistol and shot at the target."
That was the first time she had held a pistol and she hit the bull's eye.
"When the coach saw this, he asked me to follow my passion."
In the following days, she would wait for everyone, including her father and husband, to sleep so she could leave her home and practise shooting in the fields.
To improve her balancing skills, she would straighten her arm and hold a jug of water for a long time.
Fearing her family might become upset or angry with her new hobby, she kept shooting a secret.
"In a village where girls were not sent to schools or allowed to work, an old woman holding a pistol and following her passion was odd and invited ridicule," she says.
To Tomar's surprise, one day at home she saw her photograph in the local newspaper. She snipped the image out so that her husband and father did not see. But she could not conceal her new identity for long.
"When the media started writing about me frequently and I started getting awards, everyone came to know about me and they were happy and proud," says the sportswoman, who has five children and 15 grandchildren.
Her success has inspired her neighbours and relatives.
" In a village where girls were not sent to schools or allowed to work, an old woman holding a pistol and following her passion was odd and invited ridicule."
CHANDRO TOMAR, 86-YEAR-OLD SHARPSHOOTER
When the news spread, young boys and girls requested that she train them to shoot.
"I started a shooting range here in my village where I train young boys and girls for free. Young people from neighbouring villages also come here to learn shooting."
Tomar also influenced her sister-in-law, who is older.
...[ Continue to next page ]
Share This Post
