Why an entire West Bengal village was glued to TV (It’s not cricket)

KOLKATA: Almost everyone from the small village of Chak Krishnadas in West Midnapore’s Pingla had their eyes glued to their TV on Sunday morning, keenly watching the Olympics telecast from the Ariaka Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. They were cheering local girl Pranati Nayak as she debuted at the world’s loftiest sporting event.
Pranati, 26, the daughter of a bus driver who lost his job during the lockdown, bowed out early, but no one was complaining.

She, paddler Sutirtha Mukherjee and archer Atanu Das make up the trio from Bengal who represent India at the Olympics.
Sutirtha’s family in Naihati continues to dream after she won her first table tennis match on Saturday, having come back from a suspension over alleged age-related fraud. And, as for Atanu, it’s his second Olympics, but his parents are still feeling the pressure of the colossal platform.

There were no expectations, Pranati had told TOI before leaving for Tokyo. Just a dream. To be fair, a few months ago, no one had exp-ected her to be there.
When Pranati made the cut, she had to carry the weight of Dipa Karmakar’s legacy. She lived out her dream on Sunday, as did her village. “I will be quite happy if I achieve my personal best,” she had told TOI before leaving for Tokyo. “I will give it my best shot, but I don’t know if it would be enough.”

Pranati’s parents, Srikanta and Pratima, had tried not to project their expectations on her. “Last evening, when she called, I told her not to worry about anything, but focus on her sport.
It is not about medals, but about being there,” Srikanta said. Yet, his heart skipped a beat when Pranati started off well. “I felt she would not return empty-handed.”

Like Pranati, Sutirtha, too, wasn’t expected to be there. Having served a suspension due to alleged age-fraud, Sutirtha’s comeback has been a story of grit and gumption.
“It wasn’t easy to deal with the suspension,” she had told TOI a few days back. “Thanks to my family, I overcame it.” The family has now changed the timings of their daily chores, so that they can be free to see her in action.
“Olympics is a huge stage and there are those usual apprehensions, but Sutirtha is trying to enjoy the occasion more,” said mother Nita. She had been staying at a rented house in Kolkata, so that Sutirtha could train with her coach Soumyadeep Roy and mentor Poulami Ghatak.
Nita went through agony and ecstasy during Sutirtha’s victory over Sweden’s Linda Bergstroem on Saturday. “It was a very up-and-down match,” Nita said. “I had my heart in my mouth.”
For Amit and Aditi Das, however, it’s a bit of déjà vu. Their son, archer Atanu, is competing in his second Olympics. “It’s difficult to express our feelings while watching him shoot,” Amit told TOI on Sunday. “We pray for his good result, but try not to tell him anything.” This time, they have a daughter-in-law, too, to fret about. Deepika Kumari, the more celebrated archer of the duo, does seek advice from Amit and Aditi. “Our tension is double this time,” Amit laughed. It will be so on Monday, when Atanu takes aim again.