In a small village in Assam, where facilities were limited and training was limited to practising on the road, a little girl took up karate at the age of five, only to bring laurels to the nation after years of relentless practice and humble beginnings.This is the story of Janmoni Konwar, a 17-year-old from Jorhat, who has just won gold in the Ashihara category at the National Karate Championship at Delhi’s Talkatora Indoor Stadium.Even though today she has made a terrific achievement, floodwaters entered her village, Bhogdoiporia Gaon, and her family’s house was washed away. The fishery meant to help pay for her trip was damaged, and the family had earlier sold two buffaloes to fund her competitions.Yet she made it to the mat and came home with a national gold, but her family was still living under a tarpaulin.Let us know her journey through humble beginnings and the story behind the medal.
Meet Janmoni Konwar: The teen from Assam whose home was hit byu severe floods and today she stands to win national karate gold
Seventeen-year-old Janmoni Konwar from Jorhat, Assam, won gold in the Ashihara category at the National Karate Championship at Delhi’s Talkatora Indoor Stadium, held from 7 to 9 August at the 20th All India Independence Cup Karate Championship.But her road to Delhi was anything but easy. According to The Better India, floodwaters entered Bhogdoiporia Gaon on 19 July after an embankment breached about 150 metres from her house. The family had to move to the embankment. Their house was washed away, their fishery was damaged, ducks and poultry were swept off, and the buffaloes had to be shifted to safer ground. Even after her win, the family was still living under a tarpaulin.
The fishery was a major source of income and livelihood for the family
The family had spent nearly three years raising fish, planning to sell them to help pay for Janmoni’s trip to Delhi “The fishery was connected to her competition,” the family explained to the Better India. Earlier, they had even sold two buffaloes to cover her competition costs.Her coach, Susanta Das, says, “In these remote places, some families can barely afford three meals a day. So proper nutrition and a specialised diet become difficult”. But Janmoni says her diet is simple and mostly surrounds home-cooked food and no cold drinks.
Janmoni was five when she first began learning karate
There were no air-conditioned halls and facilities were limited and practised wherever she could, even on the road. Her coach describes her as consistent, “She is a diligent child,” he said, comparing her to a lotus that blooms in the marsh. She won bronze in 2023 and gold in 2025.The road to her participationj in Delhi was seeming impossible but then she had a guardian angel in disgiuseThe family had been dislocated amid the floods; their house was gone, and their source of planned income for the championship had been affected, not only that, but the rail services were also disrupted.
Amid all this, reaching Delhi became a huge challenge for Janmoni and her team to solve.
But help came at the right time, when Alakh Pandey, founder of Physics Wallah, learned of her situation while visiting flood-hit parts of Assam. He supported the team’s travel to Delhi and back, arranged accommodation and gave Rs 3 lakh to her family. Apart from that, Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita gave Rs 10,000, according to Better India.After the win, Janmoni returned home, and her family was still on the embankment. Her father, a former footballer, keeps encouraging her to play for India, and also teaches younger children in her village, mostly girls, who love martial arts and enjoy copying her.The next step is already here, as she said, describing, “Tomorrow I am going to SAI, so this is a special moment for me,” Janmoni. According to The Assam Tribune, she has been offered a place at the SAI Training Centre in Shillong, where karate is among the disciplines offered.
