Ahmedabad: Talk about sacrifice and perseverance. A rickshaw driver in Ahmedabad, Manilal Gohil, has bought his only daughter Mittal – a national level shooter – a German made rifle worth Rs five lakh, with the money he had managed to put away for her marriage.
So surprising is the news that when father and daughter went to the local police commissioner to apply for a license, the authorities were surprised that a rickshaw driver had managed to purchase a rifle worth that amount. Fortunately for the Gohils, the police helped them get the required permission and praised Manilal for his efforts.
“My father and my family has sacrificed a lot just to fulfill my expensive hobby. After getting this rifle I will work hard to participate in international level and represent our country,” says Mittal, who lives with her parents and two brothers in a chawl in the Gomtipur area of Ahmedabad and has been practicing shooting for four years.
The germination of Mittal’s passion for shooting can be traced back to the day when she passed by the Rifle Club in Ahmedabad, and saw some shooters in action. There and then, something was triggered inside the teenager and she decided that she had to get her hands on a rifle. For a family whose subsistence comes mainly from Manilal’s auto rickshaw driving, this was not a hobby that could be easily afforded. Yet the loving father did not deter his daughter from pursuing shooting, and took her to the rifle club where initially Mittal was provided with a gun for rent.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:idiva.com)
