Kolkata, Feb 22 (PTI) Scrap dealer Rajkumar Jaiswal’s family was down to one meal a day when COVID-19 reared its ugly head. His shop was shut, and soon his house was submerged in floodwater, as Cyclone Amphan battered Bengal.

However, the double whammy of coronavirus and cyclone failed to break the spirit of his daughter Aditi, who has just made it to the Indian archery team for the World Cup, World Championships and the Asian Games.

Backing her all along was former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rahul Banerjee, now a full-time coach.

Daughter of the Baguiati-based scrap dealer, Aditi has been a meritorious student and secured 97 per cent in the ISC exams, which got her an admission into St Xavier’s College with Economics honours.

Rajkumar and his wife Uma wanted Aditi to focus on studies, like her elder brother Adarsh, who is pursuing engineering from Vellore as it “guarantees a job”.

But Banerjee was convinced that Aditi was destined for “much bigger things”.

“There was a time when we would be lucky to get one meal a day when my father’s shop was shut for close to two years during the lockdown,” Aditi told

Source: PTI News