MP teen farmhand dashes to silver glory at Khelo India Tribal Games in C’garh

Bhopal: In a rags-to-riches story, an 18-year-old Aarti Dawar, once a daily wage farm labourer from Madhya Pradesh, stormed to silver in the women's 5000m at the Khelo India Tribal Games in Chhattisgarh on Monday.Hailing from Banur village in Khargone district, Aarti clocked 18:29.28, finishing just 4.62 seconds behind Arunachal Pradesh's Nedi Ngi, who posted 18:24.66. The race, run under intense heat, reflected her grit more than anything else.Until a year and a half ago, Aarti's life revolved around toiling in sun-scorched fields to support her large family. The sixth among seven siblings, she worked as a farmhand on meagre wages, with little hope beyond daily survival. Her family's small landholding was never enough to feed everyone.Her turning point came when Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy scouts noticed her speed at a local event and brought her to Bhopal for training. "I was working in farms to support my family when coaches encouraged me to join. They saw something I didn't," Aarti said. She hasn't met her family for over a year due to training and hopes to reunite with them at her sister's wedding next month.