'Second Dipa' Asmita waiting in the wings

AGARTALA: Dipa Karmakar may have emerged as the face of Indian gymnastics, but many in the 23-year-old's hometown believe that a teenager is waiting in the wings with more promise, ready to outshine her senior who came within a whisker of winning a medal in Rio.
For 16-year-old Asmita Paul, Dipa is a role model. "I want to perform like Dipa didi," she blushes while chatting with TOI."Didi has made us believe that we too can perform well in international meets. Like her, I want to win laurels for my state and country," she adds.
A Class 10 student, Asmita has already had a brush with international competition, having represented India in the ISF World Schools Championships in Turkey last month. She didn't win a medal there but her performance caught everyone's eye. So much so that many in Tripura are calling her the 'second Dipa'.
Unlike Dipa, whose father Dulal Karmakar is a weightlifting coach at SAI, Asmita is from a very humble background. Her father Arun Chandra Paul is a daily wage labourer while mother Silpi Devi works as a domestic help.
Asmita's initiation into gymnastics has followed the same path as Dipa's. Discovered by Soma Nandi at the now-famous gymnastics nursery Vivekananda Byamagar, the teenager is now under the tutelage of Dronacharya-designate Bishweshwar Nandi.
In fact, Dipa and Asmita often practise together under the watchful eyes of Nandi, either at the Netaji Subhas Research Coaching Centre (NSRCC) in Agartala or the SAI Centre in New Delhi.
Asmita's parents are trying their best to help her realize the dream of becoming a gymnast.
"We try to make sure that she gets proper food like eggs and Horlicks regularly. This is luxury for us, but we want to see her become a renowned gymnast like Dipa," says Asmita's father Arun.
Dipa plays her role as a senior, passing on useful tips from time to time.
"Didi teaches me some finer points of the game... Like what should be done to keep balance on the beam or perfecting a vault. But she never scolds me if I fail to meet her expectations," Asmita grins.
Soma speaks highly of Asmita's vaulting skills. "When she moved to NSRCC, doctors found her to be under-weight. You can't be a good gymnast if your toil and hard work is not balanced by a proper diet. She's gradually shaping up to be a good gymnast," Soma said of Asmita, who won a silver medal in the National School Games held in Telangana in July.
Nandi, however, is not in any rush vis-à-vis the talented girl. "She is promising but has a long way to go," Dipa's coach says of the teenager.
While training with her 'Dipa didi' in Delhi before the Rio Olympics, Asmita had wanted to attempt the Produnova vault. "But Sir (Nandi) told me, 'not now'."
She says she cried a lot when Dipa finished fourth in the Olympics, narrowly missing out on the bronze. "But I know didi's time will come," Asmita said.
Many feel Asmita's time, too, will come soon.