Ashmita Chaliha’s rise from a sheltered introverted life to ambitious competitor

Geetali Chaliha’s minor quibble whenever her talented badminton-playing daughter, Ashmita, returns from one of her international tournaments is that she is handed over a bunch of fridge magnets. And the only effort into picking souvenirs by Ashmita are reserved for the family’s doted doggie, Eddy, who gets the most exquisite Hamleys toys. In her relaxed, comfortable, spacious abode in Guwahati, Ashmita grew up a quiet child, with her twin loves of badminton and the dogs.

Till two years ago, she had been content to train diligently, if only a little too comfortably, at Guwahati, where in her introverted life, she played racing video games for recreation, and happily dug into her favourite prawns and lobster or mango rice and chicken rolls, with food delivery apps on fingertips. Family vacations and Durga Puja celebrations at the ancestral home in Sukhsagar in West Bengal completed an idyllic and fairly cushy life.

Ashmita’s badminton talent is ridiculously promising. So there was always a question on whether her love of the sport could push her out of this comfort zone, and fire up an ambition to succeed on the international level. Whether what couldn’t be ignited by desperation to succeed, as is seen with many athletes who don’t come from privileged backgrounds and have no option but to max out their potential, can still nudge Ashmita, whose struggles were restricted to the court amidst a sheltered life remains to be seen.

These last six months though, her competitive drive has begun to climb at a slightly belated 24.

The jump smash is not a familiar sight in the women’s singles field, and Ashmita is one of those who has a flair for it. (File photo)

Ashmita comes from Guwahati’s calm, scenic hills, and her parents though both deep sports lovers, were hardly going to morph into pushy guardians who would insist that she get regular results. She could take her own sweet time with no pressing financial pressures, and so she did.

Her father Dhrubajyoti played tennis himself, but was quick to recognise the city didn’t quite have the infra to nurture serious tennis careers. But right from sack race and hurdles at Bluebells primary to when she first clung to a badminton racquet as tall as her at age 6, in the middle of the stem to hit a leftie smash, it was clear Ashmita would love sport. Swimming and tennis slowly took a back seat, and badminton blossomed. But till a couple of seasons ago, she wasn’t exactly teeming with tournament entries on the circuit, and was happy to stay put until the Indonesian coach at Guwahati left.

A long-term move to Bangalore though, has shaken things up. Her mother talks of how her most loved bubble-tea is completely swapped with healthy fruit juices and protein shakes. It’s sprouts rather than the junk food she devoured earlier. Ashmita was always sincere in not missing court sessions, but Geetali is surprised her hyperactive daughter, who could scream and weep if she lost, has bought into meditation and yoga as she is much calmer these days.

Never much of a talker, Ashmita is regular with her counselling psychologist at the Padukone Academy, and general serenity has come into her character, reflecting in the game. In earlier years, Ashmita was prone to rationalizing her losses as inevitable defeats against big names. But now she digs deep and isn’t content nicking just a set off the big names. Wins against Nozomi Okuhara, Michelle Li and Beiwen Zhang, her first Top 10 scalp, have trickled in, as she consciously cuts down on errors and seeks consistency in shot-making.

She’s not so much flashy and indisciplined, as habitually creative. Geetali says she abhors playing the same gamestyle through the length of a match, and is always eager to bring novelty and surprise to her tactics. This can lead to her taking longer than most to settle into a particular gameplan she wants to employ. Her variations are many, and her deceptive game is exciting, even as her strokes can be labelled truly international. The maturity has kicked in a tad late at 24, but both her parents and coaches say her recent wins have gotten her excited about competing and winning at the top level, confidence that was lacking earlier. Her 5’7″ frame leaps often for jump smashes, and there’s commitment to check her errors and rein in the wild hitting.

Ashmita still likes her country music, and is rarely seen without her headphones, living in her own world, though she opens up to her close friends. But she’s serious about making good her talent now and her potential success could open the floodgates for talent from the north east to aspire higher in this sport. PV Sindhu’s career is headed towards a crescendo at Paris, and Ashmita has gotten her act together just in the nick of time to step up and ensure India isn’t staring at an empty cupboard in women’s singles.

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