YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.

- ANNESHA GHOSH.

Sheetal Devi is in uncharted territory. She has just realised that she has never asked her mother about her childhood and the dreams tucked within it. "It's strange to think that Mumma was once just a little girl like me," says the 17-year-old who became India's youngest Paralympic medallist when she bagged a bronze in the mixed compound archery team event at the Paralympic Games in Paris this year. "I've never thought about the fact that she too was a daughter to a mother who may have done her hair like Mumma often does for me." A click of the tongue. A shake of the head. Pursed lips. And a fleeting descent into an indiscernible stream-of-consciousness whisper-the markers of self-admonishment are obvious over Zoom. But as Sheetal continues to dwell on this oversight, her mother, Shakti, places a tender arm around the teen to bail her out of her guilt. "As far as dreams went, all I wanted to do was go to school," the 47-year-old murmurs in Kishtwari, a language spoken in their hometown of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. "I never ended up seeing the inside of one." Back then, there wasn't much Shakti could do about dreams deferred or goals unrealised. Less so, as the second youngest of four girls born in a rural family with limited means. "It feels like I am vicariously living my dreams through Sheetal, watching her go to: school, compete and excel at tournaments all around the world," she smiles, her eyes shining with pride.

For anyone who frequented the Paralympic Village, home to the athletes and delegations during the Games, the sight of Sheetal and Shakti striding together purposefully was a familiar one.