Game’s On

“My father was not a rich man. He works at the state irrigation department and when I was young all he used to get for a month’s work was Rs 10,000. Table tennis is an expensive sport. A complete set of bat costs more than Rs 10,000. But more than the money I had to face other problems that severely hampered my progress. Family jealousy almost destroyed my career. I was very young then. Still,at times I thought about quitting table tennis. By god’s grace I survived. My father’s support turned out to be pivotal. He stood firm and ensured that I stayed focused,” Ankita told The Sunday Express.

The neon lights of the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra,where she was playing her first domestic tournament after returning from the Olympics — The 42nd All India Inter Institutional TT Championship — made her expressions more visible and poignant as Ankita recounted her past.

It all started when she was just four -year-old. A resident of Rabindra Nagar in Siliguri,Ankita went to Siliguri Table Tennis Academy and started to learn the game under Amit Dam. “Initially it was about spending some quality time outside school and study but gradually she started to love the game. Her father,Asim Kumar Das,and I decided to support her. It was not easy. Her father was the sole earner in the family but we always tried to ensure that she didn’t feel the strain,” said Ankita’s mother Sangeeta.

For the first 10 years of her career,till 2008,Ankita didn’t have a sponsor. But by that time she had already won district championship,cadet national championship,national sub-junior and junior events. “Life became better after Oil India came forward and took me on board. Sports Authority of India (SAI) is also helping a lot. We now get top class facilities ahead of any international event and if it continues,India will soon become a force in the world of table tennis,” says Ankita.

Qualifying for the Olympics was like a dream come true. She lost in the first round,1-4 to Sara Ramirez of Spain,despite showing patches of brilliance. “I was not very disappointed and tried to learn from my mistakes. I am going through a learning curve and it was a great experience to play on the world’s biggest stage. Now I know what winning mentality is all about and how to handle pressure.”

Ankita is not satisfied and wants more. “I am yet to win the senior national championship and winning it this year is my first target. Then we have the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014,which we all are aiming for. My ultimate goal is to do well at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At present,Indian table tennis is way behind the top rung. But with the facilities we have now,we should bridge the gap. Four years is long enough a period to do that,” Ankita signs off.