<p>On the first day of the Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were on pistol shooter Saurabh Choudhary. Hopes were high that he would repeat his 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games feat. Focused and on target, the 19-year-old was among the first to shoot his 60 pellets in the qualifying round. He entered the top-eight field in the finals on the number one position. Unfortunately, a medal was not to be. Choudhary exited early in the finals at the Asaka shooting range. </p>.<p>Despite the loss, Choudhary's journey from the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh to the shooting ranges of Tokyo is one of determination, persistence and motivation. The region has ten sugar mills that make sugarcane cultivation the primary source of livelihood. However, finite landholdings have made government jobs, especially those in the armed forces, the most sought after to supplement incomes from agriculture. </p>.<p>For the last decade and a half, youngsters in and around Baghpat have turned to shooting sports to secure jobs in the army or paramilitary forces under the sports quota. The trend started in the late 1990s with a shooting range coming up in the Johri village, the birthplace of shooting in Baghpat's rural belt. Now there are 15 ranges in Johri and nearby villages, the most for a rural pocket in the country.</p>.<p>These ranges still lack shooting infrastructure and are non-air-conditioned shooting ranges with outdated electrical pulleys. However, this does not deter youngsters who train for hours in scorching heat motivated that honing their skills might someday give them a shot at government jobs.</p>.<p>But Choudhary's Asian Games triumph changed that perspective, heralding a second revolution in the area. Youngsters now dream bigger, thronging the ranges to become champions in the Asian continental games and even represent the country in the Olympics. It isn't merely jobs, but the Olympics medal is on their radar.</p>.<p>"Saurabh's success in the sport changed people's worldview in the Baghpat region. Now, the kids want to learn shooting to be an Asian Games champion or to compete in the Olympics like him," shooting coach Amit Sheoran had said a couple of days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.</p>.<p><strong>The beginning</strong></p>.<p>Rajpal Singh, a retired Ayurvedic practitioner, introduced the sport in the region in 1998, and Johri village's Sheoran is from the initial batches. He competed in the two nationals in 2000 and 2002. In 2010, Sheoran opened a shooting in village Binauli, around 7 km from Johri. "I am not sure about the count, but the number of those who got jobs under the sports quotas in various government departments over the last 15 years would be over 200 shooters," said Sheoran.</p>.<p>The sport has also played a role in women's empowerment in the region. The biopic 'Saand Ki Aankh' based on the life of octogenarian dadi (grandmothers) shooters Prakashi Tomar and Chandro Tomor (she passed away this year in April) has brought national fame for the rural areas of Baghpat.</p>.<p>"Dadi Chandro used to accompany me to the range, and eventually, she, along with her sister-in-law Prakashi started learning the sport. I participated in my first North Zone shooting competition along with Dadi Chandro in 1999. I won gold in junior and dadi won silver in veterans," recalls Shefali Tomar, the first international from the clan.</p>.<p>Her cousin, international shooter Ruby Tomar is a sub-inspector in Punjab Police. She got the job under the sports quota. Shefali represented the country in pistol shooting in 2006 and 2007. "Shooting has helped over 30 to 40 girls to get government jobs," she says.</p>.<p>Choudhary was not an exception when he had joined Sheoran's shooting academy at the age of 13 in Binauli village, around 15 km from his native Kalina village on the Baghpat-Meerut border. His initial objective was to work towards a government job under the sports quota, but his target shifted after a few months of training to eyeing a berth in the national squad. Subsequently, gold medals in all three age categories, youth, junior and senior, in the very first national at Pune brought the Olympics in focus.</p>.<p>When Choudhary's elder brother Nitin brought him to the shooting range, their target was to get a job in the Indian army under the sports quota, reminisces Sheoran. "But Saurabh soon started shooting 360-365 points (out of 400), which was quite a good score for a beginner. I told his brother that Saurabh is made for bigger things, and they should drop the idea of securing a sports quota job in the army," says Sheoran.</p>.<p>The family gave serious thought to the coach's advice. Choudhary used a common pistol on the range until then, but the family bought him a personal pistol. "He became the national champion in his very first nationals in 2016. Since then, the Olympics came into our focus, and I knew he would be there in Tokyo," says Sheoran.</p>.<p>Saurabh Choudhary is the name of a new shooting revolution in the rural belt of Baghpath. "He is already a hero, a symbol of hope for the youngsters coming from a humble farming background," Sheoran says.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a senior sports journalist)<br /><br />Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p>On the first day of the Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were on pistol shooter Saurabh Choudhary. Hopes were high that he would repeat his 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games feat. Focused and on target, the 19-year-old was among the first to shoot his 60 pellets in the qualifying round. He entered the top-eight field in the finals on the number one position. Unfortunately, a medal was not to be. Choudhary exited early in the finals at the Asaka shooting range. </p>.<p>Despite the loss, Choudhary's journey from the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh to the shooting ranges of Tokyo is one of determination, persistence and motivation. The region has ten sugar mills that make sugarcane cultivation the primary source of livelihood. However, finite landholdings have made government jobs, especially those in the armed forces, the most sought after to supplement incomes from agriculture. </p>.<p>For the last decade and a half, youngsters in and around Baghpat have turned to shooting sports to secure jobs in the army or paramilitary forces under the sports quota. The trend started in the late 1990s with a shooting range coming up in the Johri village, the birthplace of shooting in Baghpat's rural belt. Now there are 15 ranges in Johri and nearby villages, the most for a rural pocket in the country.</p>.<p>These ranges still lack shooting infrastructure and are non-air-conditioned shooting ranges with outdated electrical pulleys. However, this does not deter youngsters who train for hours in scorching heat motivated that honing their skills might someday give them a shot at government jobs.</p>.<p>But Choudhary's Asian Games triumph changed that perspective, heralding a second revolution in the area. Youngsters now dream bigger, thronging the ranges to become champions in the Asian continental games and even represent the country in the Olympics. It isn't merely jobs, but the Olympics medal is on their radar.</p>.<p>"Saurabh's success in the sport changed people's worldview in the Baghpat region. Now, the kids want to learn shooting to be an Asian Games champion or to compete in the Olympics like him," shooting coach Amit Sheoran had said a couple of days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.</p>.<p><strong>The beginning</strong></p>.<p>Rajpal Singh, a retired Ayurvedic practitioner, introduced the sport in the region in 1998, and Johri village's Sheoran is from the initial batches. He competed in the two nationals in 2000 and 2002. In 2010, Sheoran opened a shooting in village Binauli, around 7 km from Johri. "I am not sure about the count, but the number of those who got jobs under the sports quotas in various government departments over the last 15 years would be over 200 shooters," said Sheoran.</p>.<p>The sport has also played a role in women's empowerment in the region. The biopic 'Saand Ki Aankh' based on the life of octogenarian dadi (grandmothers) shooters Prakashi Tomar and Chandro Tomor (she passed away this year in April) has brought national fame for the rural areas of Baghpat.</p>.<p>"Dadi Chandro used to accompany me to the range, and eventually, she, along with her sister-in-law Prakashi started learning the sport. I participated in my first North Zone shooting competition along with Dadi Chandro in 1999. I won gold in junior and dadi won silver in veterans," recalls Shefali Tomar, the first international from the clan.</p>.<p>Her cousin, international shooter Ruby Tomar is a sub-inspector in Punjab Police. She got the job under the sports quota. Shefali represented the country in pistol shooting in 2006 and 2007. "Shooting has helped over 30 to 40 girls to get government jobs," she says.</p>.<p>Choudhary was not an exception when he had joined Sheoran's shooting academy at the age of 13 in Binauli village, around 15 km from his native Kalina village on the Baghpat-Meerut border. His initial objective was to work towards a government job under the sports quota, but his target shifted after a few months of training to eyeing a berth in the national squad. Subsequently, gold medals in all three age categories, youth, junior and senior, in the very first national at Pune brought the Olympics in focus.</p>.<p>When Choudhary's elder brother Nitin brought him to the shooting range, their target was to get a job in the Indian army under the sports quota, reminisces Sheoran. "But Saurabh soon started shooting 360-365 points (out of 400), which was quite a good score for a beginner. I told his brother that Saurabh is made for bigger things, and they should drop the idea of securing a sports quota job in the army," says Sheoran.</p>.<p>The family gave serious thought to the coach's advice. Choudhary used a common pistol on the range until then, but the family bought him a personal pistol. "He became the national champion in his very first nationals in 2016. Since then, the Olympics came into our focus, and I knew he would be there in Tokyo," says Sheoran.</p>.<p>Saurabh Choudhary is the name of a new shooting revolution in the rural belt of Baghpath. "He is already a hero, a symbol of hope for the youngsters coming from a humble farming background," Sheoran says.</p>.<p><em>(The writer is a senior sports journalist)<br /><br />Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>