Assam tea-seller’s daughter hopes for platform to faceoff against Mirabai Chanu

Guwahati: It was the end of another tiring day at a small tea stall that also serves lunch to the ones working around Jiadhal Chariali in Assam’s Dhemaji district. Suddenly, a phone call from Chennai fills the owners of the tea stall, Luhit Sonowal and his wife Budheswari Sonowal, with a sense of pride but also leaves them a bit worried.

Their daughter, Panchami Sonowal, has clinched silver medal in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting competition at the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2023 but had to be stretchered off to the hospital after that.

Panchami, who competed against the youth national record holder in Snatch (70kg), had to settle for the second spot with a total lift of 167 kg and in the process also saw her record being broken by Maharashtra lifters Arati Tatgunti and Soumya Dalvi, who eventually took the gold and bronze medals with total hoists of 170 kg and 175 kg respectively.

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“I wanted to go for the national record in both categories but eventually it was not my day. I also could not attend the medal ceremony but was glad to get another KIYG medal. It (the fall) was painful and I could barely walk. The X-ray result confirmed that there was no fracture. There is still a bit of pain but hopefully I should be fine in a couple of days,” Panchami said.

Fresh from winning gold at the Junior National Weightlifting Championships, silver in the senior category and gold in the inter-state competition in December 2023, this was the second medal in four appearances at the KIYG for the 18-year-old weight lifter from Assam. For Luhit and Budheswari, their daughter’s achievements in the sport are now a routine affair.

“My parents are not aware of my competitions. For them, if I win a medal, it is an achievement and even if I fail, they will keep supporting me. Quite understandably, they are not related to the sport but they have always focused on providing me with the best support and care. They were a bit worried as I was taken to the hospital but now they are fine,” said Panchami.

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Panchami is the youngest of three sisters, two of whom are married and a brother Santosh Sonowal, who earns his livelihood as an auto-rickshaw driver. Santosh has a nine-year-old son, whom Panchami aims to nurture as a sportsperson.

“Every time I am at home, my nephew takes a keen interest in my training. He is just nine now and I want him to be a sportsman and make sure he learns to be independent and achieve a lot,” Panchami added.

Panchami was inspired to take up the sport by some friends, who would regularly spend their afternoons at the Batgharia Anchalic Sports Club in Dhemaji.

She soon cleared the trials for Sports Authority of India (SAI), Guwahati, National Centres of Excellence (NCoE) and made it to the junior camp in 2017.

However, before she could complete her stint at the SAI centre, COVID-19 pandemic struck. By the end of the first phase of lockdown, Panchami decided against returning to Guwahati and continued her training back at the local Batgharia Anchalic Sports Club.

Panchami is excited at the prospect of facing off against her idol and Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu, who also competes in the same weight division. For Panchami, the first goal at the senior level remains a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games.

Panchami said that her first target is to win gold at the Commonwealth Games as she prefers to take one step at a time.