Login   /  Register

Updated At: Aug 03, 2022 08:00 AM (IST)

Family of Harjinder Kaur. Tribune photo

Harjinder Kaur, the daughter of a landless farmer from Mehas village here in Patiala district, braved poverty to make it to the podium at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

Kaur has been successful in winning a bronze medal in the 71 kg category of women’s weightlifting. 

Living in a one-room house, Kaur gained her muscle strength by cutting fodder on the manual chaff-cutting machine. She used to cut straw on ‘toka’ to feed the buffaloes at her house. 

It was the game of Kabaddi for which Kaur joined a camp at the Punjabi University in 2016. The turning point in her sports journey came when Punjabi University’s weightlifting coach Paramjeet Sharma asked her to adopt weightlifting sport.  

Kaur faced financial problems initially and her family had to take a loan of around Rs 1 lakh to ensure that she continued weightlifting. 

Kaur won her first medal at the All India Inter-University Championship. Thereafter, she never looked back and won successive medals at various national championships. 

Her brother Pritpal Singh said she was a hard worker, and her medal at the Commonwealth Games was a result of her years of hard work. 

“She had to cut fodder at chaff-cutting machine that developed her arm strength. She never said no to it as she used to take care of the buffaloes alone,” the brother said.

Talking about the financial constraints, Pritpal said, “Initially, we faced financial problems. Things started to improve once she started winning medals and I got a government job.”

With teary eyes, Kaur’s father Sahib Singh said, “The girl has made everyone proud including me. I can’t express my feeling in words.”

He added that Kaur had done everything on her own. However, he said “It will be of great help if the government provides her with a job and some financial aid.”

CWG: Harjinder Kaur wins bronze in women's 71kg weightlifting after a dramatic climax

Punjab govt announces Rs 40 lakh cash award for CWG bronze medallist lifter Harjinder Kaur, celebrations erupt in village

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj also awards two-year imprisonmen...

Simultaneous raids are under way at nearly a dozen places on...

The PM says Naidu had always worked for the youth and given ...

incident took place near Bhadawar House in Mainpuri Sadar Ko...

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.

The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

Designed and Developed by: Grazitti Interactive