For Dipa Karmakar's coach Bishweshwar Nandi, no time to rest

AGARTALA: Till the other day,

Bishweshwar Nandi

had one key prize to show off - gymnastics ward Dipa Karmakar who has been making waves in Indian sport with her path-breaking feats. Now, he has another feather in the cap - the Dronacharya award.

Only the second gymnastics coach to be conferred the country's most prestigious award in coaching, Nandi is synonymous with his protégé Dipa, just as

Devender Kumar Rathore

was credited with the rise of

Commonwealth Games

and Asian Games bronze-medal winner Ashish Kumar.

Nandi, though, is not about to rest on his laurels.

"I remain unfazed by criticism as well as any recognition. I'm more comfortable working with my wards in the gymnasium. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a gymnast perfect a routine and win laurels for the country," Nandi said, before adding, "My mission is to discover more Dipas and bring them into spotlight." For both Nandi and Dipa,

Rio

has been an eye-opener. "This was the first Olympics for both of us. It showed us where we stand in comparison to other top gymnasts and what needs to be done to win a medal. I had a chance to interact with US gymnastics team officials who told me that they have already started preparing for the Tokyo Games in 2020. Despite our handicaps, I am now determined to see Dipa on the victory stand in Tokyo," Nandi told TOI during the Tripura government's felicitation function.

Nandi was himself an accomplished gymnast in the 1980s, winning the national championship five times and representing India in the 1982 Asian Games. Having failed to win an international prize for his country, Nandi wants to fulfil his dream by guiding Dipa to glory despite the tall odds.

Not just Nandi, his wife Soma has also been an integral part in Dipa's development as a world-class gymnast. While Soma 'discovered' Dipa, her husband has taken upon the task of polishing the raw diamond.

"Yes, we have a family. But I have also come to terms with the fact that my husband has to be with Dipa, sometimes away from Tripura for months, to make her battle-ready. Gymnastics is our life and we are ready to sacrifice this much for the sake of the game," Soma maintained.

Nandi is too involved with 'Mission Dipa' to be distracted by usual family responsibilities. "My family is a gymnastics field," he said with a smile, hoping for a change in the way the sport is conducted here.

Nandi is likely to let Dipa skip the World Challenge Cup, scheduled to be held in Hungary in October. But having learnt their lessons from the near medal-miss in Rio, they will soon start preparing in quest of three major goals -top prize in the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast in Australia), 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and the 2020 Olympic Games. "I'm planning to introduce a few more vaults in Dipa's repertoire.

Produnova

will remain her forte, but she must be equipped with more variety," Nandi said.