How Ashmita Chaliha got over phobia of trains during comeback

Her mother recalled the conversation from Wednesday. Geetali, who works at a top hospital chain for last 28 years, but has doubled up as her counsellor now that Ashmita is an independent athlete and not part of the India team, was trying to get her to chant “Om Sai ram” on the phone, something she spiritually believes in. Ashmita repeated the words, but had been distracted. Flight bookings for Friday needed to be rescheduled, the hotel stay extended. “She was weighing options of cancelling or rebooking, to save Rs 29,000. So she told me, ‘zyada mat bolo. Lemme think.'”

The mother was immediately concerned.

Ashmita, who made the main draw at Malaysia after qualifying matches, had been adventurous once again, trying to cut on costs of playing tournaments to make ranking points. “She had taken a bullet train to get to the airport in China,” Geetali said, with dread. Millions do, but Ashmita has a phobia. “Once when travelling from Orleans to Paris, she had taken a wrong train. She kept asking around but the language was an issue until an English speaker told her she was on the wrong train. She had jumped out of the train just as it was picking speed. It was a phobia ever since.”

In China, travelling alone, she worked up the courage to board one to reach the airport before flying out to Malaysia.

The ‘zyada mat bolo’ mother-daughter tiff was however a result of another affable argument. “She announced at home she’s growing her hair because her elder sister is getting married. She wants to wear a lehenga,” Geetali says. THaving always sported a short crop, the trouble was the hair was falling onto her face, and she had to nail the exact way to use clips to keep it off her forehead. On a poor network connection, the two were trying to figure out the best way to deal with these practical unforced off court niggles.

Ashmita moved back to Guwahati, having left the Padukone academy in Bangalore amicably, because she needed a change of scenery. “They were terrific in counselling her through injury and rehab, but she felt she needed to move back because she needed dedicated attention,” Geetali says. At the NCE, coach Park welcomed the new challenge. Despite being a local, Ashmita moved in as a hostel boarder, going home only late Saturdays and returning Monday mornings.

Having left Bangalore, she also lost her OGQ funding support, and started dipping into her monthly salary with Indian Oil to play tournaments. The game was fairly intact, but she was working harder, as the fall in rankings from No 42 to outside of 200s had hit hard. So, while taking the bullet train was inevitable as flights were costly, Geetali had multiple fears. “I kept calling her because she has a habit of falling asleep after matches so I told her ‘don’t go to sleep’. But she’s managing everything alone now,” she says.

When not part of the Indian team, the logistics can be overwhelming, and Ashmita’s jumping-out-of-the-train nightmare, had left her a tad wary. But a huge suitcase, a cabin box carrying her kit, a knapsack with her gadgets and two translation devices, plus Ashmita safely made their way to Malaysia where she beat Pai Yu Po 21-23, 21-16, 21-16. In Round 1, she beat Thalita Ramdani 21-13, 21-16.

Post the arthroscopy, Ashmita is eager to make every outing count, and is working hard, staying at the hostel. Part of India’s Asian team gold winning squad from 2023, Ashmita is clambering back. “Falling from No 42 to 200 was depressing. At my hospital I see a lot of people come in shattered like her, so we stood by her. I told her sometimes you need to lose, to rise again. Now she’s more confident,” Geetali says. “Earlier she used to be jittery playing Top 20s. Now she has a good attitude. Also, her friends like Isharani, Devika are doing well. Unnati is playing so well. For all parents of Women’s Singles, any of these girls doing well is inspiring.”

Ashmita would also enroll into correspondence courses. “She wants to complete her graduation. Whenever she’s home we do revisions on her projects in Sociology, Psychology and Physical Education.” Most Sundays are spent watching F1 car races.

“I look forward to Saturday now when I cook her prawns, pork and chicken stew she likes. On some weekends we go out for chatpataa – soup or noodles. Or at dhaabas. It’s been tough for her but she’s doing things independently now, managing out of own money. She’s working hard, hope results follow,” the mother hopes. Now at No 71, she plays Line Kjaersfeldt next.