NEW DELHI: Rakhi Halder, part of the national weightlifting camp currently housed in NIS Patiala, is distraught. Cyclone Amphan which struck Bengal and Odisha on Wednesday, ravaged her small house located in Bishnupur, in Malda district of West Bengal. The damage was extensive as their traditional storehouse, where a year’s worth of paddy was stored, and the animal shelter, which housed two cows, were completely ruined.
The 2020 national weightlifiting champion in 64kg is feeling helpless as the rules state that no athlete is allowed to leave the SAI premises and due to the cyclone’s destruction, network issues have meant only a short call for two minutes was possible on Friday.
“I finally managed to get through to my mother and she was inconsolable. She kept saying how we are ruined and now how will we feed ourselves. I haven’t been able to get through to her since.
First coronavirus scare, now this. How much more can we take,” an emotional Rakhi told this daily. Her father, who suffered an accident a couple of years back, is mostly bedridden. The Halder family had to sell off their own farming land to pay for his treatment and now they lease a portion of someone else’s land and farm using help and then keep a portion of the harvest. Her mother is a homemaker.
“My father stores around a year’s worth of rice which we use for ourselves. The only source of income for my family is the salary I get from my job in the Indian Railways. I don’t know how I can help them now. Difficult times lie ahead,” the Commonwealth Championships gold medallist added.No training and now this, Rakhi says the mental impact will take some time to get over. “I do not even have a sponsor. There is only so much one can do with a limited income. We are unable to train also nor can we go home. Staying positive is not really an option,” she remarked.
Halder had produced a personal best of 218 kg at the Qatar International Cup last year to win the bronze medal. At the Commonwealth Championship in June 2019, Halder had clinched the gold with a total lift of 214-kg (94+120). She is currently 23rd in the Olympic qualifiers list.