Daulat Rahman/Guwahati

On the evening of August 9, 17-year-old Janmoni Konwar returned home to a tarpaulin shelter erected on an embankment after her house was submerged in floodwaters on July 19.

The young karate player had just returned from a gruelling tournament in New Delhi, where she had won a gold medal at the National Karate Championship held from August 7 to 9. Yet, after bringing home a national title, Janmoni did not even have a comfortable bed to sleep in.

For her family, living on an embankment after floodwaters submerged their home at Bhogdoiporia Gaon in eastern Assam’s Jorhat district, Janmoni’s victory symbolised hope, pride and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

The floods may have destroyed much of what the family possessed, but they could not wash away Janmoni’s dreams.

When Janmoni stood on the podium in Delhi to receive her medal, she was fighting a battle of a very different kind.

The embankment breached just about 150 metres from her house. The water surged in so rapidly that the family barely had time to save what they could. Some important documents were rescued. So were Janmoni’s medals and prizes.

Almost everything else was swallowed by the flood.

Their house was submerged. The fishery the family had built and maintained over several years suffered extensive damage. Ducks and poultry were swept away. The family managed to rescue their buffaloes and move them to a safer location near the embankment, where they later took shelter.

The destruction of the fishery had consequences far beyond the loss of an income source. It was supposed to finance Janmoni’s journey to Delhi.

For nearly three years, the family had been raising fish with the intention of selling them before the championship.

“We had planned to sell the fish and send Janmoni to Delhi for her competition. The floods shattered everything,” recalls her elder brother, Krishnamoni Konwar.

A year ago, the supportive family had sold two buffaloes to finance one of Janmoni’s competitions.

Janmoni started learning karate at the age of five. She practised at her local club and even in the courtyard of her home. Years of hard work had already produced results. She won a bronze medal in 2023 and followed it with gold in 2025.

The 2026 national championship was expected to take her another step forward.

Then the flood struck.

Her house was underwater. Her family’s livelihood had been devastated. Rail services had been disrupted. The family was struggling to secure even the most basic necessities. Under such circumstances, finding money for a national-level sporting event appeared almost impossible. Janmoni was on the verge of abandoning the competition.

Then, unexpectedly, help arrived.

Alakh Pandey, founder of Physics Wallah, who was personally involved in relief efforts for flood-hit people in Assam, came to know about Janmoni’s situation and offered assistance.

He sponsored the team’s journey to Delhi and back, arranged accommodation and gave the family ₹3 lakh.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita also supported Janmoni’s family with ₹10,000.

“Pandey Sir was a God-sent messenger for us,” the family says.

While her family remained preoccupied with survival, rebuilding their shelter and recovering from the disaster, Janmoni returned to training. Her practice ground was the embankment rather than the regular training facility.

For a 17-year-old preparing for a national championship, the circumstances were extraordinarily difficult. But Janmoni’s discipline and determination helped her overcome the challenges.

Eventually, she made it to Delhi—and returned as a national champion.

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Janmoni returned to Assam through Dibrugarh Airport on August 10. The trappings of a champion’s welcome were missing because of the floods. Instead, she returned to the tarpaulin shelter she now calls home on the embankment.