As it often happens with children, a flame got lit when Karishma Samadder followed her father, Colonel Ratan Samadder (retd), to watch him practice at the Army Golf Course in Kolkata.
The keen eye of the Army officer was quick to spot the interest in his little girl, Karishma was six then, and put her under the watchful eyes of renowned coach Indrajit Bhalotia at the Tollygunge Club to channelise the enthusiasm.
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As Karishma began competing in tournaments, her interest grew and soon the hobby turned into passion. Ever since, she has become determined and not a day passes when she is hard at work, honing her skills.
She has also succeeded in balancing golf and academics. Like her parents, her school too has backed the bright student by granting her leave for nationals tournaments and sharing assignments through WhatsApp.
Karishma has reposed the faith by displaying solid work ethics. Rain or shine, she is always punctual for practice and the skill is more than evident. The 14-year-old notched a top-10 in the ladies category at a recent event of the Indian Golf Union.
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During tournaments, she is learning to stay calm and tries not to carry the baggage of earlier events. Learning with each step, Karishma and Colonel Samadder, who is also her coach now, ensures the daughter is getting better with each outing.
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The accolades have started to come in. In 2015, she won the 74th Albatross International Tournament in the junior category, followed by the East Zone SRF Talent Search Tournament. Thereafter, it was the SSP Chawrasia Junior Golf Challenge in 2017-2018. In 2019-2020, she won The Taj Bengal Trophy (Open Category), which was organized for leading lady golfers across age groups.
The big one lay in store with the first runner-up at the All India Ladies Open at Tollygunge Club, in which she competed against ladies of all age groups. In 2019- 2020, she also qualified for the IIFL Faldo Junior Golf Invitational Series.
Earlier this year, she won the long drive challenge in the ladies’ category of India’s First Long Drive Tour of South Asia at Tollygunge Club.
As results pour in, aspirations have got bigger. Karishma wants to become a professional and represent India on the big stage.
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