The prejudice was so deep that even her existence was questioned.
“There were some people in my family who even told my parents to kill me,” she says quietly, recalling words that left her family devastated, but determined to protect her future. “They doubted my existence and questioned how I would live and what I would do.”
“But my parents thought differently.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, her family moved to Chhattisgarh, a state in central India. With sustained support from the state administration, Nag was sent to Parbhatigiri Balniketan, a government childcare institute where her needs could be properly met.
There, she found stability – and a new family.
She began to understand the meaning of life and developed a strong desire to achieve something significant despite her challenges. Gradually, she discovered a passion for sketching portraits using her feet, going on to win several district-level art competitions.
“I was good at making sketches, and I enjoyed it,” she says with a grin. “I made many drawings of people, and my peers and seniors often praised my work.”
At the time, her future seemed destined for pencils and paper – not bows and targets.
Then archery found her.
“One day someone posted my picture on Twitter, and that’s how my Guruji, Kuldeep Vedwan, found me,” she recalls. “He requested the orphanage management for my transfer.”
(Guruji is a Hindi term meaning a respected teacher.)
What followed was not just the discovery of archery at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, but the discovery of self-belief, discipline and purpose.
