Chandro Tomar was an Indian professional sharpshooter. She was referred to as the oldest sharpshooter in the world. She had won more than 30 national championships. On 30 April 2021, she died after battling the COVID-19.
Contents
Wiki/Biography & Career
Chandro Tomar was born on Friday, 1 January 1932 (age 89 years; as the time of death) in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. She hailed from a family with an agricultural background and was married at the age of 15. She lived in village, Johri, of the Bagpat District of Uttar Pradesh. Tomar never received a formal education. She took up shooting as her career when she was 65 years old. In 1999, her granddaughter, Shefali, wanted to learn shooting and decided to enroll herself at the Johri Rifle Club. Shefali felt shy to go alone to an all-boys shooting club and asked Tomar to accompany her. One day, when her granddaughter, Shefali, was not able to load the rifle, Tomar stepped in to help her and made a shot at the target. Her first short resulted in a bull’s eye hit. The club coach, Farooq Pathan, was surprised to see her skills and suggested her to join the club and receive proper training. On his advice, Chandro received extensive training for 2 years and went on to take part in many state level and national level shooting championships.
Chandro Tomar practising shooting
She won a silver medal in her first North Zone Championship. Since 1999, Tomar had competed in and won more than 30 national championships throughout India. She won a gold medal at the veteran shooting championship held in Chennai. In 2016, Chandro competed in her last event in Delhi and won a bronze medal. After 2016, Tomar continued coaching youngsters, addressing gatherings, and inaugurating various sports institutions.
Chandro Tomar guiding youngsters for rifle shooting
Tomar was also featured in various TV shows including “Satyamev Jayate,” “India’s Got Talent,” and History TV’s “OMG! Ye Mera India.”
Chandro Tomar on the sets of India’s Got Talent
In 2019, a film titled ‘Saand Ki Aankh,’ based on the biography of Tomar and her sister-in-law, Prakashi Tomar, was made by Tushar Hiranandani. The Bollywood actresses Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar played the roles of Chandro and Prakashi in the film. The film was declared tax-free in Delhi and Rajasthan.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: White
Eye Colour: Black
Family, Caste & Husband
Chandro Tomar belonged to a Jat Family. [1]The BETTER INDIA Her brother was in the military. Her husband’s name is Bhor Singh. She had three sons and three daughters. All her daughters have learned shooting and have participated in shooting championships at the international level. Tomar had 15 grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Shefali Tomar, is an international shooter. Her niece, Seema, is also a sharpshooter; who became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Rifle and Pistol World Cup in 2010. Chandro’s sister-in-law, Prakashi Tomar, is also a sharpshooter.
Chandro Tomar with her family members
Chandro Tomar with her granddaughter
Chandro Tomar and Prakashi Tomar
Awards
- Senior Citizen – National Award
- HT Woman 2017
Chandro Tomar posing with HT Woman Award
- Devi Award
Chandro Tomar receiving Devi Award from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
- Shram Shakti Award
Chandro Tomar receiving the Shram Shakti Award
- 100 Women Achiever
Death
On 30 April 2021, she died after battling the COVID-19. On 26 April 2021, she was admitted to a hospital in Meerut after she had complained of difficulty breathing. [2]The Indian Express After Chandro’s demise, her sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar wrote on her Twitter page,
Mera saath chhoot gaya, Chandro kaha chali gayi?”
Facts
- Her hobby was doing yoga.
Chandro Tomar doing yoga
- She was fondly known as Shooter Dadi and Revolver Dadi.
- Chandro lived in an extended family of 40 persons.
- Although Tomar had never received a formal education, she was a quick learner when it came to sharpshooting and learning basic English.
- Initially, she feared going to the shooting range and used to practise late at night or during the early hours of the morning at her home.
- Her name, work, and picture got published in the newspaper within 15 days of starting her shooting career.
- Two weeks after Chandro’s work got published in the newspapers, her sister-in-law, Prakashi Tomar also followed her footsteps and started learning shooting.
- Chandro defeated an army officer during her first championship from the North Zone. The match was held in Chandigarh. While sharing the details of the event, Chandro says,
When they called him on stage, he told everyone he was disappointed to have lost to a woman who’d picked up a gun only recently.”
Her grand-daughter, Shefali was also competing in the same match in the junior category, and they both won silver medals at the championship.
- Initially, her husband neither supported nor opposed her passion for shooting but as she excelled in her field, her husband encouraged her as well as the other members of the family.
- She owned a pistol worth £1,200.
Chandro Tomar with her pistol
- Tomar used to shoot while wearing traditional village attire. She used to cover her head in order to avoid the disturbance of the wind.
- When the household chores stopped her from going to the shooting range, Chandro carried her practice by throwing stones at bottles filled with water in her backyard.
- When asked in an interview whether people fear her, Chandro replied-
Robbers no longer come to our village.”
- In October 2019, Chandro, along with her sister-in-law, Prakashi Tomar, and the cast of the film “Saand Ki Aankh,” visited the sets of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ to promote the film.
- In October 2019, Chandro, along with her sister-in-law, Prakashi Tomar, visited the multiplex in Baraut, Uttar Pradesh to watch the first show of their film. There was a huge crowd at the theatre asking both to have selfies with them.
- Chandro had travelled to Punjab, Haryana, and Bihar to set up shooting ranges for the people there.
- Reportedly, there are boards near their houses with the name “Shooter Dadi” and a slogan, “Beti Bachao, Beti Khilao, Beti Padhaao.” written on it.
- In October 2019, Chandro underwent a surgery and was recuperating from it at a hospital in Delhi.
- Chandro told in an interview that her son-in-law was among her first supporters.
- Chandro revealed during an interview that when she had visited the sets of “Bigg Boss 13,” she joked with Salman Khan if he was the same guy she had been watching on television all those years. However, the portion was edited by the Bigg Boss 13 team and Tomar was unhappy about it.
References
| ↑1 | The BETTER INDIA |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Indian Express |
