Niece’s tribute to General Bipin Rawat: 11 golds in shooting

National shooter Bandhavi Singh — the niece of General Bipin Rawat and wife Madhulika — fought through grief to win 11 gold medals at the National Shooting Championship in Bhopal.

With a heavy heart but steady hands and unwavering eyes, she stayed focused on the target, recalled every pep talk the CDS had given her, and told herself she would aim for gold in every event.

“This time, while competing in the championship, my only objective was to win gold as I wanted to dedicate each gold to him and the other warriors who died with him. I will always remember him as a mentor and guide,” Bandhavi told in media.

In the last championship, she had got eight medals, five of them gold. This time, she has doubled her gold tally despite the trauma.
A week short of her 20th birthday, Bandhavi is the daughter of Yashwardhan Singh, younger brother of Madhulika. Yashwardhan was the first to rush to Delhi by a special Army plane after news of the accident broke on Wednesday.

The championship concluded on Friday, with Bandhavi being crowned national champion in .22 calibre, 50m category. She immediately flew to Delhi for the cremation of Gen Rawat and Madhulika.
“Uncle Rawat spoke little, but whatever he said were words to inspire. He would always say that whenever someone takes up any task, they should never rest until they complete it. This was what kept me focused even after I learnt of his death,” Bandhavi told media.
She last met Gen Rawat in October. “After returning from the world championship in Peru, I stayed with uncle and aunt at their home in New Delhi for two days. Whenever Gen Rawat interacted with us, there was something to learn. He took me to a few events. I had a great time, and never knew that it would be my last meeting with him,” said Bandhavi.

A regular member of the MP Shooting Academy in Bhopal, Bandhavi is pursuing a masters in History. She took to shooting in Class 10. “I was the national school champion in hockey for six consecutive years till class 12. I was in Daly College Indore and was attracted towards shooting while I was in class 10. I won the national championship in both shooting and hockey at the school level, but decided to focus on shooting,” said Bandhvi.
Her father Yashwardhan Singh said the late General wanted to open a Sainik School in Shahdol, Madhulika’s native place. “We belong to Shahdol, which is a tribal-dominated area. I spoke to Gen Rawat 15 days ago and he had promised to visit Shahdol in January 2022. He was willing to open a Sainik School in Shahdol,” said Singh.