Swastika, currently the country’s ninth ranked women paddler was the country's fourth-ranked player in women's category in 2021-22.
He learned the basics of football from his renowned footballer father Nirmal Ghosh of Mohammedan Sporting and Wari. Then his football journey began at Sahu mewalal's club, Hastings. That was around in the early 80s. Then he became a regular member of George Telegraph and Taltala Ekota and played regularly in the CFL in between 1985 and 1991. Even his job at Kolkata's one of the popular schools was as the Games’ Teacher, precisely as the football teacher.
During that period table tennis was his passion only. He learned the basics of the game under Gopal Bhattacharya at a local club in Andul, Howrah where he used to live.
But as his daughter Swastika started growing as a paddler at the cadet level, Sandip Ghosh also started developing his coaching skills.
Today, the former footballer who left Kolkata after being called up in the national football team's selection in 1991, is a professional table tennis coach and his daughter-cum student Swastika Ghosh is his product who is already country's one of the prominent female paddlers. Currently ranked ninth, Swastika was number fourth ranked in the women's category in 2021-22. She has won national championship titles six times in the cadet, sub-junior and junior categories. Despite being fourth ranked, she was not selected in the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games.
In the very next year, Swastika represented the country in the World Championship. Swastika, in the women's category, also reached the quarter-finals before losing to a Chinese paddler. Swastika achieved the feat of being the third Indian woman after Manika Batra and Sreeja Akuli. Swastika was ranked fourth in the world youth category in 2021. In the women's category she is presently ranked 173rd.
Sandip Ghosh, speaking over the phone from Mumbai where he has been a resident for the last 30 years said, “I had to go through a lot of obstacles to develop my coaching skills. It was mandatory as I was the sole opponent of Swastika in the training. Unless I had developed my game then Swastika would have suffered. I acquired an ITTF level-2 coaching license under renowned USA coach and instructor Richard McAfee. I attained the coaching camps conducted by former World Champion, legendary Peter Karlsson in India.”
"I attended another coaching camp organized by TTFI where former Korean international John Song came to Indore for a three-month camp. Even, I traveled to China and Taiwan to get the Chinese style of coaching. I felt it was needed after the table tennis ball changed in 2014. The plastic ball was introduced replacing the celluloid balls. I left my permanent job at the school in Mumbai in 2011 only due to Swastika. My salary during that time was Rs 40 thousand monthly. But I had the only desire to push my daughter to international standards. My wife, Swashati Ghosh had also a huge contribution to Swastika's development."
Sandip who also trains young paddlers in Maharashtra now has only dreams. He is waiting for a medal his daughter will earn in the Olympics.
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Dibyendu
Sep 21, 2023 | 12:16 PMAwesome news.choto belay voyonkar danpite chilo andul sprting clube footbal played with him.swastika orporibarer samman barie choluk
Anil Vaishnava
Sep 19, 2023 | 3:23 PMUnbelievable efforts...... great going..👍