Protistha Samanta was being called one of Dronacharya Bishweshswar Nandi’s most promising students. Nandi when asked about Protistha explained, “Considering the potential she has immense talent."

"I can say that Protistha has even the potential of emulating Deepa’s achievements in future as her key strength is tremendous power. But she needs proper guidance and equipment for training and the dedication which can drive her to attain success in international competitions.” 

The 21-year-old gymnast from Howrah went to Nandi in 2018 after a five-year stint at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Kolkata centre under the guidance of Jaiprakash Chakrabarty. 

Under the tutelage of Nandi, Protistha had an inspiring performance in the World Championship in Cairo in 2022, missing medal by whisker with a fourth-spot finish in the vault. She also won individual gold medals in the 2022 National Games.

A member of the gold-winning Bengal team in the ongoing National Games in Artistic Gymnastics, Protistha returned to Kolkata in 2023 with a job at South Eastern Railway and training under Payel Bhattacharya and Partha Pal. 

Still, Protistha, who does Handfront-5-180 and Skuhara 360 in the back, is hugely influenced by Dipa Karmamar and Bishweshswar Nandi. She remembered saying, “I still watch Dipa Karmar’s videos to draw inspiration and continue learning."

"I used to train for nearly six and a half hours' training every day. Sir helped me develop the technique. He was so caring that he never got annoyed while rectifying the errors.” 

Commenting about Dipa's contribution, Protistha said, "None of us who used to train with her did not need to get motivation from outside. Having watched Dipa-di's hard work, determination, and courage was the biggest inspiration for me."

Protistha is now setting focus on the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games next year. Whether asked whether she dreams of participation in Olympics, Protistha concluded, “I have to focus first on these international competitions to earn qualification for Olympics.”