Adriyan looks to realize dad Joydeep’s unfulfilled dream

Kolkata: Way back in 1998, a young Joydeep Karmakar — armed with a new rifle and a freshly-acquired passport — was excited about his first overseas trip after qualifying for the junior world shooting championship in Barcelona. However, upon arriving in New Delhi, from where the Indian contingent were scheduled to leave, he came to know that the “authorities” considered the junior shooters didn’t have a chance to win a medal and, thus, decided against sending the team to Spain.
“I had to wait for 12 years before eventually being able to take part in my first world shooting championship in 2010, but as a senior player. My dream of taking part in a junior world championship was never fulfilled,” Joydeep recalled.
However, Joydeep — who missed a medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games by a whisker — can now find his unfulfilled dream realized through his son Adriyan as the 17-year-old is all set to take the flight from New Delhi to Cairo for the world championship, starting next week.
“Yes, in a way, Adriyan is carrying the weight of a dream,” Joydeep told TOI.
Groomed by his father since his childhood, Adriyan has scripted several success stories in the domestic circuit. “This will be not only my first brush with a World Championship, but also my first international trip. Yes, it’s a different challenge altogether and I’m excited about it. But at the same time, I will stay focused on my goal,” the junior Karmakar remarked.
Adriyan — a class XI student who studies commerce in the New Town school — made the Cairo-bound India team thanks to his consistent performance in national-level meets and various trials over the past few months. He will take part in the 50m rifle prone event in Cairo, which will take place on October 13.
Being the chief national rifle coach, Joydeep will join the team in Cairo later on when the senior pros will be in the fray, which means he is set to be by his son’s side in Cairo. But he has left no stone unturned in getting his son ready for the big stage.
With the city missing a modern shooting range, Joydeep was forced to improvise in helping his son learn some tricks of the trade. A makeshift range was set up at the corner of a football ground near a boarding school in Madhyamgram, on the northern fringes of the city, where the father-son duo went through the grind.
“This is a new journey for me and I’m determined to give it my best try,” Adriyan said, looking to fill his father’s shoes.