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A steady breath. Her eyes are fixed on the target. Silence enwraps her. She picks up an arrow and nocks it on the bow. Holding the bow with one hand, she draws the arrow to her cheek with the other. Her chin is pointed downwards, the fingers rest on her jaw and the string touches her nose. Leaning slightly forward on her heels, she lets the arrow cut through the air to hit the target. That was it, the gold medal for Deepika Kumari!

She was born in Ranchi on 13th June 1994. While most girls Deepika's age get married, luck favoured her and destiny had something else in its fold. Her potential was recognised when she was only 12 years old by Meera Munda, the wife of a Jharkhand's CM. Immediately, she was taken in by the residential archery academy, Seraikela-Kharsawan.

However, at that point in her life, academy meant food more than training in archery and that was a good enough incentive for her to take the opportunity. 

> But her father gave out an ultimatum and the family said no to these endeavours of her. She was a girl and Arjuna's sport was not meant for her.

If in any case, she is adamant, she was free to sever all ties with her family and move out. With resistance, Kumari's ambition took a new shape and she packed her box of dreams and left her home. From then on, she lived in various academies and hostels and perfected her sport every day of every year.

Her determination could be easily missed as it is hidden behind the shy smiles that she spreads around but at the core, Deepika has seen it all and won it all. She is humble no matter if she is on top of the world or not. 

> Her firm character and her solid personality stood the test when she was 13 and triumphed when she made it into the Junior National Archery Team, won the Youth World Championships and represented India in the Commonwealth.

Then she won her first two golds in international archery, one with the team and another solo. Indian archery reached new thresholds that day and rose to meteoric levels!

Unlike the ancients and their mythologies of Rama and Arjuna, rich with archery as a sport and skill that represents power and strength, in modern India, it is more or less a dead sport and has lost its collective sport spirit. Deepika Kumari believes otherwise. For her, this is a means of the betterment of life. 

> In 2020, she tied knots with Atanu Das, another skilful archer. Together, they represented India in the Olympics and became the first Indian archery star couple to bag golds and bronzes for the country.

In her time, Deepika Kumari has been the number one in the world of archery. Like a true amalgamation of Devasena and Robin Hood, she does magic with her bow. For when she knocks her arrows and holds her breath, she looks no less than what Arjuna must have looked while hitting the bird's eye.

Alone she walked towards her weapon, picking it up silently and setting it towards her target. Neither her family nor any friend stands at the back to cheer her up. It is the firmness of Deepika Kumari that golden flowers shower upon her. 