When Chandro Tomar was 65, she took her granddaughter, who was interested in learning how to shoot, to a rifle club. Tomar, from a small village in northern India, decided to try it herself, and fired some shots with a pistol. A coach noticed her natural skill, and since then Tomar has won more than 25 national championships.
When she first began practicing, her family made fun of her, since women in their village are expected to stay home all day to do household chores. But once Tomar started winning medals they became impressed. She then began knocking door to door, recruiting girls in the village to learn the sport. The girls would ask their parents, “If this old granny can do it, why can’t we?” And so she now teaches the girls how to shoot. “It will be useful to them,” she says.
Tomar, who has 8 children and 15 grandchildren, never plans to retire from her sport. “I’ll keep shooting until my last breath.”
This video is part of Great Big Story‘s “Human Condition” series of short “microdocs”.