Ranchi: Those who say age is just a number seem to be on point.
At 68, a retired railway employee Jyotirmoyee Dey, resident of Bokaro Cooperative Colony has set a new target for herself. Mother of four - one son, three daughters - married and settled outside the state, and a grandmother too, Dey has now taken up archery to give the Deepikas and Madhumitas a run for their money, err, medals.
A fortnight ago, she got herself enrolled in the day boarding archery centre run by SAIL in Bokaro's Sector IV area, taking everyone by surprise. Since then, she has been religiously training under coach Karn Karmakar, a national-level player.
Asked about her new calling, Dey said she always wanted to try archery but never got the scope. But before her husband Nirmal died in March this year, he made her promise to keep her sporting spirit alive, said the surviving partner of this beautiful mixed doubles team.
"My husband Nirmal Kumar Dey, a sportsperson, used to work in the accounts section in SAIL, Bokaro. He was a thorough athlete right from childhood and had taken part in many national and international meets. In fact, he took part in athletics meets in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Taiwan in master athlete category many times. In 2013-14 in Sri Lanka he won gold in discus throw and 200 m run. He was also a mountaineer and an avid biker. Living with him, I started participating in athletics," she said.
Her admiring coach said he was initially surprised when the elderly lady told him she wanted to learn archery. "I thought she was joking but she was persistent," he said. "But after enrolling, she comes daily in gear and practises for two hours. Whatever suggestion is made to her, she acts on it at home and comes back better the next day."
The academy's 25 archery cadets are enthused by Dey's unconventional entry, he added. "If any cadet gets slack, I now use Mrs Dey's example. I don't know if I will play or coach when I reach her age, but this lady is so full of energy," said Karmakar. "There are some annual state and national tournaments in archery where senior citizens can take part in the master athletics category. We are preparing her for this."
Dey has now set her sights on Krida Bharati Games in December. "I will try hard to bag a berth in the senior category archery," she said.
When her husband was alive, the Deys visited remote areas in Bokaro to regularly host athletics, cricket, weightlifting camps and tournaments for the underprivileged. "Now, a few tournaments are being planned locally in his (Nirmal's) memory," she said.
A philately enthusiast, she also hosts exhibitions in schools. Be it philately or archery, this sports granny seems stamped for fame.
