‘Shooter Dadi’ Chandro Tomar, 89, dies of COVID-19

Chandro Tomar, famously known as ‘Shooter Dadi’, died on Friday after battling COVID-19. The 89-year-old sharpshooter tested positive for the disease on April 26 and was admitted to a Meerut hospital.

“Mera saath chhoot gaya, Chandro kaha chali gayi (She has left me, Chandro where have you gone?),” her sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar, who is also one of the oldest female sharpshooters in the world like Chandro, wrote on her Twitter page.

Tomar, who hailed from Bagpat district in Uttar Pradesh, learned to shoot when she was 67 years old. She won 30 national championships since then.

She was hospitalised on Monday after complaints of breathing difficulties. Tomar’s family posted the development on her official Twitter page and wrote in Hindi, “Dadi Chandro Tomar is corona positive and is hospitalised due to respiratory problems. May God Protect Everyone – Family.”

Also known as ‘Revolver Dadi’, Tomar became a feminist icon and was widely known in India. She inspired a lot of people to take up the sport and excel in it.

A movie named ‘Saand ki Aankh’, which featured Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu, was made on her and her sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar’s life. Her sister Prakashi is also one of the oldest sharpshooters in the world, aged 84.