Once a vegetable vendor and e-rickshaw driver, Jhandu now gets a seat on the CWG stage

Three years ago, Jhandu Kumar was driving an e-rickshaw through the streets of Harnaut in Bihar’s Nalanda district to support his family.On Friday night, the 29-year-old completed one of Indian para sports’ most remarkable journeys by winning bronze in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.Jhandu finished with 130.9 points after a best lift of 190 kg to become India’s first medalist at this edition of the Commonwealth Games. But for the national record holder, the medal meant much more than just a place on the podium.“Sometimes it’s hard to believe how far I’ve come. But I’m proud to have done something for my country and for Bihar. I’ve had the opportunity to represent India. That gives me immense happiness,” Jhandu told STOI from Glasgow on Saturday.

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His journey was defined by both sacrifice and success.Afflicted with polio at the age of five, Jhandu spent years helping his family run a vegetable shop in Harnaut Bazaar. Every day he traveled nearly 20 km to Bihar Sharif to buy vegetables before returning to sell them in the market. As soon as the workday was over, he headed to the Rockstar Gym, where he trained under Gautam Singh.“I met him for the first time in 2019. There was a wedding in a village near mine and we met there. The moment I saw him, I felt there was something special about this boy,” Gautam recalled. “Later on his request, in 2020, I opened my gym in Harnaut and within two months he started. We have been training together non-stop since then.”The gym soon became Jhandu’s second home where he spent three to four hours training every evening.Then, when the family business had to be temporarily closed during Covid-19, he started driving an e-rickshaw to support the family.Although he believed it would make life easier, the long hours were too exhausting for him to train properly. Despite the challenges, he won his first national medal at the 2022 National Para Powerlifting Championships in Kolkata.Convinced that powerlifting was his future, Jhandu eventually sold the e-rickshaw a year later to finance his participation in the National Para Powerlifting Championships in New Delhi.Ironically, the gamble seemed to backfire when he was unable to register a successful lift in the competition. However, his determination caught the attention of national head coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu, who invited him to train at the Sports Authority of India’s National Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar.This move changed his career. Within three years, Jhandu became one of India’s leading para powerlifters, winning medals at home and abroad, setting a national record in the 72kg category with a lift of 206kg and qualifying for the Commonwealth Games.However, there was a hint of disappointment late on Friday in Glasgow when he narrowly missed out on silver or even gold. Still, standing on the CWG stage was a moment he had dreamed of for years.“This journey was never just mine. Everyone played a role in helping me reach this level. I wouldn’t have made it this far without their support,” he said. “My journey is not over yet. I still have the Asian Games and hopefully the Paralympics ahead of me.”Celebrations broke out at home in Harnaut as family, friends and neighbors rejoiced at the success of the man who once sold vegetables and drove an e-rickshaw to keep his sporting dream alive.“It’s a huge achievement. People today will see him as a Commonwealth Games medallist, but very few people know how tough his journey was,” said Jhandu’s elder brother Kundan.By afternoon, Kundan had distributed nearly 5 kg of ‘Black Atom Bomb’, a popular sweet in the region. And their parents, Ramanand Paswan and Kamala Devi, couldn’t be happier.“Jhandu spoke to our mother just before the event and she blessed him, ‘Son, wherever you compete, make sure you bring up the Indian tricolor.’ Those were her words from the heart and he fulfilled the blessing,” said Kundan, who admitted that he barely slept through the night with excitement.His father, who worked as a storekeeper at the Bihar State Cooperative Marketing Union for nearly five decades while also selling vegetables, now hopes that his son’s success will finally help the family secure a business in the new complex after years of waiting.While the family dreams of a better future, the CWG bronze also boosted hopes of an even bigger breakthrough on the international stage.“The Government of Bihar will provide him with the support required to train effectively for a successful campaign at LA 2028,” said Raveendran Sankaran, Director General and CEO, Bihar State Sports Authority.For Jhanda, the reassurance comes at a crucial stage in his career. After years of funding his own dream – selling vegetables, driving an e-rickshaw and even selling it to continue competing – he now has the support to pursue an even bigger goal – a Paralympic medal in Los Angeles.