Golden girl Rachna qualifies for state games

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, October 19

There is no stopping for Rachna Kumari. The little wonder who had won gold medal in tehsil-level games has now qualified for state-level school games as she bagged first position in the district level-games that were held today at Rasulpur village in Jalandhar.

The Tribune had first highlighted in these columns that Rachna, daughter of a homeless rag-picker, had been doing well in sports. The girl lives with her family in an open space in a mandi. They spend their days and nights in a shed with no boundary wall in the Rurka Kalan village, Jalandhar. She studies in Class III in Government Primary School (Girls), Rurka Kalan.

When asked why they didn’t take any proper place on rent to live, “Hum gareeb logo ke pass rent dene ke paise nahi hain, hum kahan se denge (we don’t have any money to pay rent),” Rachna’s grandfather had said.

After The Tribune highlighted their plight, help started pouring in for Rachna. Buta Ram, the head teacher of the school, had identified the calibre in the girl when the games were announced and started the practice sessions of the students. “Rachna is a perfect example of resilience and she is very fast,” Buta Ram had said.

“We will double the hard work now. I want to see the kid reaching new heights. She has made us proud. I want her to perform on par with players of other districts, that is why help of some professional trainer will be sought now,” teacher Buta Ram said.

While the district administration had recently provided Rachna monetary help of Rs 10,000, Satyamev Jayate Society presented the necessary items such as a big trunk and a jersey to her. Apart from this, the NGO had also offered every kind of help the girl will require to prepare for the district-level games.