India is primarily an agricultural country. More than 75% of the population depends on agriculture. Farmers are the backbone of the nation. Without them, we cannot survive.
They sweat it out day in day out without rest. They are highly involved in tilling the soil, sowing the seeds, watering the fields, reaping and harvesting the crop and then they sell it to the market.
Farmers may not earn more nowadays but they have ensured to raise their children properly. Today’s farmers’ daughters are successful in their respective fields.
Farmer’s daughter is now one of India’s best weightlifters
The story of Punam Yadav is well and truly inspiring. Hailing from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Punam Yadav braved all the odds to have a sensational career. Her life was not that easy due to her family’s financial constraints and she had to overcome all the challenges to be in a great position today.
Now a Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, Punam is one of India’s best weightlifters.
The farmer’s daughter Punam grew up helping her parents in a Benaras village. After three years of vigorous training to become an international weightlifter, it was when Punam earned a chance to represent India at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Though she had all the tools to become a potential weightlifter, her parents couldn’t support her financially. With no option left, her father sold their family buffalo in a bid to fund Punam’s trip.
The family’s support at the need of the hour gave Punam Yadav much-needed confidence to go about her business. When she was 19 years old, she won a bronze at the Glasgow CWG in women’s 63 kg weightlifting event.
With grit and determination, she continued to work even harder. After bronze success, she made massive strides and worked hard on fitness levels.
Punam Yadav hit the peak performance in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast after she won a gold medal. The 24-year-old lifted a total of 222 kg: 100 kg in Snatch and 122 kg in Clean and jerk in women’s 69 kg category.
It has been quite a journey – from humble beginnings to making her mark for her country on the international stage. A life that has drawn inspiration from the struggle and strived to the great heights.
Farmer’s daughter is now India’s long-distance runner
From the fields in Satara to winning medals for the nation at the big stage has been no less than a fairy tale for Lalita Babar
Lalita Babar faced many challenges in her life and she defied all odds to come out on top. Hailing from a family of farmers, life hasn’t been that easy for the 30-year-old. But the track and field athlete showcased her mettle in the sport that she truly loves the most and she is in a good position today.
She started her career in athletics as a long-distance runner when she was young. She shot to fame after she won the first Gold medal in the U-20 National Championships at Pune in 2005.
Even at a young age, she showed great resilience and lit the track on fire by running fast. In 2014, she once again scripted history as she won her third consecutive Mumbai marathon.
She was also determined to go places and win a medal in multi-discipline events like the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. So she decided to switch to 3000 metres steeplechase in January 2014, following her massive success at the marathon.
She unleashed her true potential at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea when she settled for the bronze medal clocking 9:35.37 in the final. In the process, she also broke the national record which was previously set by Sudha Singh.
The Maharashtra native followed it up with yet another achievement in the next year at the 2015 Asian Championships where she raced to a gold medal win clocking at 9:34.13 and in the process she brought the best out of herself. She broke her own personal record, the Indian national record and the games record as well and qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
At the Rio Summer Olympics, she clocked 9:19.76 and qualified to the final becoming the first Indian in 32 years to enter a final in any track event in sports history. It was well and truly an outstanding achievement that it took more than three decades for any Indian athlete to accomplish the feat.
Odisha farmer’s daughter becomes Loco Pilot, she is an inspiration to girls in India
Mamata Sahu of Narayanpur village under Baliapal block in Balasore district became an inspiration for many girls as she has become a Loco Pilot in South Eastern Railway, Kharagpur Division.
Coming from an economically backward section of the society, farmer’s daughter Mamata always dreamt of doing something extraordinary since her childhood stage. Despite her financial crisis, she secured 75% marks in Class 10 examination and then she got enrolled in Plus Science.
The determined Mamata went to Jharsuguda to pursue Diploma in Engineering. After finishing her course, she went to Chennai and worked in a private company with a meagre salary.
Mamata, who was not satisfied with the private job had continued her struggle and worked hard towards her dream. In 2013, success followed her around like a shadow as the young woman got an appointment from South Eastern Railway, Kharagpur Division for the post of Assistant Pilot.
But, she went through an ordeal as people started taunting and demotivating her for her ‘male-dominated’ job. But these things didn’t bring Mamata down as she continued working on her dream.
From Assistant Pilot of a freight train, she is now plying her trade as driving passenger train, helping lakhs of people reach their destinations.
In a competitive world where men are competing with gumption to achieve greater heights, women are also escalating themselves in their respective fields as well. The fact that women’s efforts go overlooked is such a sad thing to see nowadays. Let’s not forget about Mamata Sahu’s success story.
Mamata Sahu’s position would certainly inspire girls to dictate sharp and decisive moves to take the right step in their careers.
Women are destined to achieve great things in life. There is literally nothing in this world that can stop them from touching the pinnacle of success. Just like men, women too are going places with relative ease in this competitive world. Dreams can be translated into reality if the dreamer has that indomitable will, drive and spark to surge a person on until the goal is attained.