Sikkim girl on soccer high

Karishma Rai in Gandhinagar

Nirmal Mangar, TT, Gangtok: This Karishma does not do Bollywood moves, but she sure can make the soccer ball dance and do her bidding.

Thirteen-year-old Karishma Rai's footwork has taken her from mountainous Sikkim in eastern India to Gujarat at the western extreme of the country, where she is the first under-14 girl footballer from her state preparing to represent India at an international soccer tournament.

If Karishma is successful in impressing her trainers at the under-14 camp at the Sports Authority of India in Gandhinagar, she will fly to Kathmandu to play in the Asian Football Confederation's Under-14 Girls' Regional Championship in April.

From Sikkim to Kathmandu is not a long flight literally, but the road from Sikkim to the football camp was not a cakewalk for a farmer's daughter.

Luck, they say, plays a part, sometimes. But other than a full glass of milk for nutrition, and field labour for a workout, Karishma had little on her side.

Unless you count Cristiano Ronaldo - Karishma is a big fan of the Real Madrid forward.

Karishma is from Sangmo village under Rabong subdivision in South Sikkim.

"The trials were held in Gandhinagar and I was among 35 girls to be selected for the India camp. I am confident I will be selected for the AFC under-14 regional championship," Karishma said.

She said she was inspired to play soccer after seeing Cristiano play.

This is not the first time Karishma has flown out of the state to show her footwork on the field.

She represented Sikkim in an under-14 girls' tournament held in Karnataka last year.

Karishma's talent was spotted at a rural sports campaign.

"Her sporting talent was identified during a panchayat yuva krida aur khel abhiyan (a panchayat youth sports campaign), a central government initiative to bring the rural youth close to sports. There was a football match in the village and the representatives from the Sikkim Football Association who spotted her talent decided to promote her," said a cousin brother of Karishma, who escorted her to Gujarat.

Jatin Bhaveskar, the co-coordinator of the camp in Gujarat, said over the phone that the final list of the team would be announced soon.

"The girls are being coached by expert football players. Those who make it to the team will play in Nepal" he said.

Karishma's parents are proud.

"I am very happy for my daughter. This is a great exposure for her. She always wanted to become a footballer, and I believe this is a stepping stone for her football career," father L.B. Rai said.

Rai grows vegetables on his plot and sells it to run the household.

Sukhmaya, Karishma's mother, said her daughter was good in studies too and helped her in the house and did field work.

"We earn our livelihood through farming. She is a very active girl and also good in studies. She finishes her house work, like cleaning utensils, cooking, and also the school homework before going to practice in a nearby school playground," Sukhmaya said.

Karishma's diet mostly comprises the vegetables the family grows on their land. "There is no specific diet that I follow. I am a village girl and my day begins at 4am. I have a glass of milk before leaving for practice. I eat a full meal of rice, green vegetables, pulses and sometimes yogurt in the morning. I snack on biscuits in the school during lunch time. After coming home from school, I drink tea and leave for practice."

She added: "Most of the vegetables which I eat are grown in our field."

What position would she like playing in if she got selected? "Striker," Karishma said immediately. "I am so happy that in Sikkim girls are allowed to play sports like football," she said.

Lakho Phuti Bhutia, who plays for the national under-19 women's team, said: "I wish Karishma the very best for her football career. She is one of the finest we have in Sikkim. I am happy that gradually women footballers from the state are finding a place in the national team."

Menla Ethenpa, the general secretary of the Sikkim Football Association, said: "Sikkim is known for football players such as Bhaichung Bhutia, Sanju Pradhan, Nirmal Chettri and others. There are many clubs that are looking for football players from the Northeast, including Sikkim."

Ethenpa said the association would hold an under-19 trial for boys at Gangtok's Paljor Stadium. "This is our first attempt to bring the best clubs for a selection trial for under-19 boys. The selectors from the best clubs of Calcutta such as East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, George Telegraph, Peerless would come and select the players," Ethenpa said.