In Telangana's Khammam district, many children learn to use a bow and arrow long before they ever see an archery range.

For generations, the bow has been part of everyday life for the Koya and Gond communities, used for hunting, protection and survival in the forest. Today, that traditional skill is helping shape a remarkable sporting legacy.

Over the years, archers from Khammam have won more than 150 national-level gold medals, transforming a practice rooted in daily life into one of the district's biggest sporting success stories.

This summer, that legacy is continuing with nearly 400 students enrolled in archery training camps across the district.

From forest skill to sporting strength

Khammam has earned a unique place in Telangana's sporting landscape. The district has the highest concentration of archery training centres in the state, with programmes running through Sports Schools in Kinnerasani and Kanchanapalli, Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Kothagudem and Dammapeta, and two dedicated Khelo India Centres in Khammam and Palvoncha.

But this ecosystem did not emerge overnight.

It grew from a skill that........

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