Devendra Jhajharia
Special are those people who cannot do what the normal people can do. They are the ones who are blessed maybe a little more and loved a little more by the almighty. Nonetheless, their fierce outlook and their zeal and determination are beyond compare to achieve. One such person is Devendra Jhajharia. Born on June 10, 1981, Devendra Jhajharia’s Biography is worth going through. He was born in a small village of Rajasthan known as rajgarh in Churu district. His parents Ram Singh Jhajharia and Jivani Devi are peasants. They have been very supportive of Devendra for whatever he has wanted to do.
Devendra did his schooling in a government school in Rajasthan itself. It was from Ratnapura, Churu in Rajasthan. He pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Arts from the NMPG College, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. He was very passionate about studying and believed that knowledge was very essential for a person’s growth in every manner. He joined in the Indian railways before getting into the Olympics. He is currently still associated with Sports Authority of India.
Journey of his Javelin – Devendra Jhajharia
How he handicapped and his focus for Olympics?
As a child, Devendra was very active and was very sporty as well. At the age of 12, however, while climbing a tree, he got electrified by a cable near the tree which was near 11,000 voltages. He had to undergo a surgery because of the same reason and hence, he lost an important portion of his left hand. There was no option but to amputate his hand. The doctor didn’t have a choice and he couldn’t do much to save his forearm. Nonetheless, due to the facilities being limited in the village, it was not possible to give him any advanced treatment as well.
Despite losing a forearm, Devendra was not at all depressed and neither was he demotivated about his condition. He worked very hard and practiced all the different games in his school life. Despite his condition, he took part as well in various sports and did not give up his faith and determination. He participated in para-athletics while he was in his school in the year 1995. He strived hard day and night, to achieve what he wanted to achieve. He was very sure about wanting to represent India in the Olympic sphere somewhere.
In 1997, he was noticed by an ace sportsman and coach, Ripudaman Singh who was a Dronacharya Award winner. He found Devendra to be very passionate and he started training him only for his overwhelming sportsman spirit. He identified the talent of Devendra and encouraged him to take up the sport seriously. He trained under the coach for 5 years before he actually participated in the Olympics.
Participating in Olympics and Achievements
- In 2002, after vigorous training under Coach Ripudaman Singh, Devendra made his first international debut in the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea
- In 2004, Devendra won his first Gold medal in the Athens Paralympics in Javelin throw. In his speech, he did not fail to thank his Coach and give all credits to Ripudaman Singh
- In the year 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Government. The same year he was felicitated with the Maharana Pratap Puraskar Award by the Rajasthan Government.
- He was awarded the Padma Shri Award by the government of India in the year 2012.He is the first paralympian to have received this award.
- The FCCi was named him as the para- sportsperson of the year in 2012.
- The latest that he bagged was another gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Not only did he win, but he also was the flag bearer for India in the Rio Paralympics.
Devendra who continues to practice for the upcoming Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan in the year 2020, is keen to bag another medal for the country. His wife, Manju Jhajharia, who is a national level kabaddi player, gave up her career to support her husband.
Whats Your Excuse..!!
He is not only a motivation for those who are handicap, but also those who are normal. This is because, sometimes, one needs that little push, that one motivational story and that one success story to make believe in, so that they too can work towards their goals, having faith that determination and hard work with will power really pays off.
Devendra Jhajharia’s two gold awards at the Paralympics, an occasion at standard with the Olympics, makes him the torchbearer for Indian games close by the semblance of Abhinav Bindra and MC Mary Kom.
