JOIN USThere is a lot of talk these days on how the virtual world is denying children a healthy and cherishable childhood. But the case of Karruna G offers a little twist to this notion.
It was her love for table tennis, not on a table, but in a video game, that first caught the attention of her father Gajendran, an Assistant General Manager at Reliance. Himself an ardent fan of the game, he decided to enrol Karruna at Winner’s Choice (now Tenvic) in 2012.
Karruna wasn’t completely enamoured by the sport when she started out. Be it the quality competition or the tough nature of the game, the 13-year-old took her time before she felt at home with table tennis.
“Early on, playing table tennis was just fun for me. Everything changed in 2015. In the very last tournament of the season, I emerged champion. It was a State-ranking meet and I was against Trupti Purohit, who was Cadet No 3 at the national stage. I fought back from 0-2 and beat her to clinch the title. That win gave a huge boost to my confidence,” Karruna recollects.
Karruna, an 8th standard student of Deccan International School, is slowly climbing up the ranks, performing consistently in State and National-ranking tournaments. Last year, Karruna was rewarded for her hard work as she represented the country at the Croatia Cadet and Junior Open tournament.
She thanks her first coaches Prabod Kalyani and GK Vishwanath for their support when she doubted herself.
Karruna is currently coached by V Suresh Babu at the Bangalore Table Tennis Association (BTTA).
“Karruna is a quick learner and I told her father that she has a lot of potential when I first saw her play. I worked on her footwork and her strokes and the results have been positive,” says Suresh.
Her family is Karruna’s biggest strength. While her mother Bharathi, a landscape consultant, has helped her improve her mental strength, her brother, Karanesh, a college-level high-jumper, has worked hard on her fitness.
“I thank my family for their constant encouragement. Playing in Croatia was a great learning experience. I am striving hard to be an all-round player,” she offers.