\n
CHENNAI: Jhandu is not a common name. It has an uncanny resemblance with one of the most iconic pain-relief retro brands \u2014 Zandu balm and its popular ad run on DD years ago. Nor has it to do with Xanadu \u2014 considered the idyllic capital of Kubla Khan. There is a very interesting anecdote behind it, which Jhandu Kumar himself narrated from Glasgow.<\/p>\n
In fact, his story is a poignant reminder of India\u2019s hinterland and its travails. Born in a vegetable vendor family, money was always considered a novelty, something extra-terrestrial. Earnings were meager and at the age of just five, Jhandu, who is 29 now, was afflicted with polio. Life went downhill as his family spent their entire fortune (however meagre it was) on him. But Jhandu fondly recollected the days as a child and the hardship his family had to endure.
“I was five years old when polio struck me,\u201d he told The New Indian Express<\/em> on Saturday a day after a glittering Friday when he won his first Commonwealth Games medal, a bronze. There was a tinge of tragic-comic narrative to his recent stardom. “My father spent all the money on me and because of which we went bankrupt. Isiliye unlogo mera naam Jhandu rakha, log bolne laga jhandu ho gaya<\/em> (that\u2019s why they call me Jhandu),\u201d he said with a chuckle.
The medal he hoped would change his fortunes. For someone who started para sport four years ago this is indeed creditable. Sabnahua Dih near Harnaut in Nalanda district is just a speck on the map. A nondescript village will slowly get into some kind of prominence on the sporting map through Jhandu.
Juggling complexities of life has been his forte but after the bronze on Friday, he is expecting better days.<\/p>\nHe didn’t sleep the whole night. His phone kept buzzing. Even in the morning, it did not stop. If Jhandu Kumar was just another para powerlifter from a nondescript village in Bihar with a population of a couple of thousands, life has taken a dramatic turn. Like his name, he doesn\u2019t think about the consequences of his hard work, he just loves the process. “Main phal ke bare mein nehi sochta, mein apna kaam karta<\/em> (I don\u2019t think about the rewards, I just do my duty),” he said. “If I work hard, there will be rewards.”<\/p>\nThe soft-spoken para powerlifter bagged the first medal on the field and India\u2019s second after Lovlina Borgohain was assured one without stepping on to the ring. <\/p>\n
“Just before the competition I spoke with my mother,\u201d he said about how his family had been supporting him. \u201cBy now, my parents and family would have distributed kilos of sweets to the villagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jhandu had to endure numerous hardships years before pursuing the sport. He had to work as a vegetable vendor to earn money which was never enough. Lack of knowledge about para-powerlifting forced him to compete in able-bodied competitions. “I did not know about para sport,” he said. “For the first time, I competed in Kolkata nationals in 2022.” <\/p>\n
On Friday, it was not easy for the powerlifter who was leading after the first group final round. Jhandu was in the gold medal-winning position throughout and was pushed to the second first when Matthew Harding of England lifted 199kg in his second attempt that fetched him 131.0 points which was 0.1 points more than Jhandu\u2019s 130.9 after his 190kg second attempt lift in Group B. Riluwan Idris picked those 208kg barbells for his 132.8 that pushed Jhandu to third.
Life has been a struggle till now but Jhandu felt things might get easier and is hoping the state government will help him. When it comes to his career, every step he took was fraught with challenges. Diet is an integral part of a lifter\u2019s training regimen but for Jhandu, food itself was scarce for the family.
“It is like this,” he explained. <\/p>\n
“I used to earn maybe around Rs 500 a day; out of that, we had to spend Rs 300 on food for the family and then save the other portion for other needs. So how much can a powerlifter afford to spend on diet with this kind of money?”<\/p>\n
The good part of his story is that he was enrolled in the Sports Authority of India\u2019s National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar in 2023 and has been training there ever since. \u201cThat helped a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cI had a few no-lifts during nationals and coach Rajinder Singh sahib potted me and selected me for NCOE, Gandhinagar.\u201d<\/p>\n
That changed his life as he started to improve. Slowly, with more exposure, he gained experience and landed up in Glasgow. Though he was expecting a good result, the medal was icing on the cake. It was tense during the competition because he had already finished his quota of lifts after the first round for Group B. “The facilities there are very good and I must thank them for turning me into a medal-winning lifter,” he said.<\/p>\n
Going by the statistics, Jhandu knew he would be among medalists but wanted the colour of the medal different. That was the reason why he wanted to lift a personal best of 196kg. <\/p>\n
It didn’t matter in the end. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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