'Manu Bhaker was named after Rani Laxmi Bai'

GORIYA (JHAJJAR): Manu Bhaker's second triumph at the Paris Olympics was celebrated by many in her native village Goriya in Haryana's Jhajjar district.Among the crowd was her 84-year-old grandmother, Daya Kaur who proudly shared the story behind Manu's name. "I named her after the freedom fighter Rani Laxmi Bai," Daya Kaur revealed. "When Manu was born, her mother was pursuing a teaching diploma in Bhiwani. At the time, I was inspired by the tales of Rani of Jhansi, whose nickname was also Manu."Manu's father, the youngest of five siblings, was the only one not in govt service. "Four of them are govt teachers, while Manu's father, Ram Kishan, was in the merchant navy. He sacrificed his career to support Manu," she added.On Tuesday, a special jumbo-sized LED screen was installed at a private school run by the Bhaker family. Students, teachers and family members watched Manu and Sarabjot clinch the bronze amid loud applause. "It is a special day for the Bhaker family," said Mahender Bhaker, Manu's uncle.He said Manu studied at the same school from nursery through 10+2. "She scored above 90% in both secondary and senior secondary classes and was among the toppers. She balanced her studies with sports and other extracurricular activities, dabbling in boxing, karate and swimming before settling on shooting in Class 10," he recalled.Her uncle, Baljit Bhaker shared that Manu's grandfather, Raj Karan Bhaker, was also a shooter.