Tombi Devi ran a tea shop to support her husband Kriti Singh, who was a construction worker at the Manipur construction department. With 6 children, it was difficult to make the ends meet.
They had a half-acre contracted paddy field to tide over the difficuly.Times were tough with 6 children whom they had to support. Then how did one of the off-springs Mirabai Chanu, become the 5th Indian to win an Olympic silver medal, from such humble beginnings?
It was all because of parental and family support.
What are the 3 reasons we think, why she made it:
REASON 1: Identify your child’s strength
Though Mirabai was the youngest child, she could carry more firewood than the elder children. The parents saw that she had more strength than the other kids. It now needed a catalyst in the form of a weightlifter to get them to know about this sport. The father seizing on this opportunity, took her to Imphal (20 km away) to enroll her in Khuman Lampak academy. Their guess was correct. Mirabai had excellent body mass, a natural squat & lift i.e. she was designed to be a weight-lifter.
REASON 2: No girl stereotypes
The training camp was held early in the morning and late in the evening. The mother packed black rice and boiled vegetables and insisted on her not coming back during the day for rest. Late in the evening, after the camp, she would have to come home on a sand truck. At times, she would have to walk half the distance. The whole family would be waiting eagerly for her to come. They never dampened her spirits by insisting that a girl child should be back before sunset to light the lamp.
REASON 3: Never say, GIVE UP!
When Mirabai lost at Rio with a ‘did not finish’ result, she decided to quit. The entire family regrouped and spent hours with her on her return. The whole family cried. They told her that they would give her the fullest support, but she should NEVER QUIT.
After this incident, there was no turning back. She went on to win Gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a 4th place finishes in World Championship in Thailand, and a Bronze in Asian Championship in Tashkent.
Parenting Quote: You have to work for years to make your child become an overnight success
