National title at 39, age is just a number for Anindita

Life may have changed for her in the last two decades, but for mother of a 11-year-old Anindita Chakraborty, table tennis has always remained permanent, especially after winning the senior national women's team title at the age of 39.

Anindita, who will turn 40 in April, defeated opponents almost half her age in the just-concluded senior Nationals in Haryana to help Bengal win the title for the first time since 1997 season which was held in Jammu and Kashmir. "Being young, they're extremely fast and agile. You need to be at yourtoes to keep up with them but we did well and we won the tournament without dropping a game," a beaming Anindita said after returning from Manesar.

"Some of them would be curious and come near me asking to learn the tricks of the game. It was really a great experience. My first title in Kolkata in 1993, when Bengal won for the first time since 1972 will always remain special but this will rank closer," Anindita, who later won for Bengal in Jamshedpur in 1994 and 1997, said.

From getting married in 2000 to giving birth to Akshita in 2005, there were times when she thought of quitting the game but it's her employers, South-Eastern Railway, that kept her going as she annexed her seventh National team title, that included thrice with the Railways (1995-96 and 1998 seasons). Now Akshita, who is in standard six at the Ashok Hall Girls Higher Secondary School, keeps pushing her mother to go for more.

Anindita said six-time national champion Poulami Ghatak inspired her with a superlative show in the recently-concluded nationals.