Married at Just 10 and Denied Education, Durga Kumawat Fought Back to Become a Powerlifting Champion

Durga Kumawat’s inspiring journey from child marriage and poverty in Rajasthan to becoming a powerlifting champion. She overcame struggles, trained in the gym, and went on to lift 300kg and win medals.

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Durga Kumawat: A journey that started in poverty, but her dreams never had a break

Rajasthan's Durga Kumawat has a life story that sounds straight out of a movie. Her father worked as a security guard and her mother did odd jobs to run the house. With six daughters, money was always tight. Things were so bad they didn't even have electricity at home. But Durga and her sister were so keen on studying, they would sit under a streetlight at night to read. The challenges were many, but giving up was never an option for her.

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Durga Kumawat: Married at 10, her childhood was snatched away

Durga Kumawat's life changed completely when she was married off at just 10 years old. The family made this decision under pressure due to an old Rajasthani custom called 'Aata-Sata'. After the wedding, she had to drop out of school. At her in-laws' house, she had to stay in a 'ghunghat', cook, and work in the fields. For a little girl, this was nothing short of a punishment. Durga Kumawat has also shared her story of struggle on her Instagram. 

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Durga Kumawat's father's illness and then the responsibility of the family

Sometime later, Durga Kumawat's father was diagnosed with cancer, forcing her to return to her parents' home. The entire responsibility of the family now fell on her shoulders. To make ends meet, she did manual labour, worked in a factory, and even took up a peon's job at an automobile company. This constant hard work and physical strain started taking a toll on her health.

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Durga Kumawat: The new journey of powerlifting began at the gym

To improve her health, Durga Kumawat joined a gym. This is where her life took a new turn. She slowly started training in powerlifting. She began strengthening herself with exercises like squats, bench press, and deadlifts. Her coach recognised her raw strength and encouraged her to take part in competitions.

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Gold in the very first competition, then Durga Kumawat never looked back

When Durga Kumawat participated in a powerlifting competition for the first time, she shocked everyone by winning a gold medal. After that, she cleared the district level in just 15 days and won gold at the state level within 3 months. Moving forward, she secured a silver medal at the national level and also set an amazing 300 kg record.

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Today, Durga Kumawat is an inspiration for many girls

Durga Kumawat's story proves that no matter how difficult the circumstances are, if your will is strong, you will find a way. The little girl who once studied under a streetlight is now making the country proud. Her story is a ray of hope for all those girls who feel like giving up on their dreams because of their situation.