Munmun Kundu could have been just another girl from a lower middle-class background fighting to keep herself afloat in a harsh world had it not been for the sacrifices her family have been making to help her swim through the sea of challenges and establish herself as a successful table tennis player.

The Bengal girl, who emerged champion in the Under-17 girls’ category at the National School Games Table Tennis Championships in Vadodara last month, has been overcoming many odds to carve out a niche for herself.

Coming from Naihati, both Munmun and her brother Tanmoy showed early promise for the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible for their father, who sells bags to make ends meet, to support the sporting ambitions of both.

“I developed interest in the game by watching my brother play. But dada had to give up playing and start working so that my dreams could turn into reality,” Munmun told The Telegraph. And the youngster is determined that her brother’s sacrifice will not go in vain.

The 17-year-old finished last year on a high — she and partner Anusha Kutumbale clinched bronze in the Oman Junior and Cadet Open in October. This year too began with a promise as she bagged gold at the National School Games. She is determined to carry on from there. Munmun, who was the sub-junior national runner-up in 2017, vows to clinch the junior national crown this year.

Munmun trains at Soumyadeep Roy’s table tennis academy. Soumyadeep, an India coach, saw a lot of promise in Munmun and took her under his wings.

“Yes, Munmun is talented and hard-working. I foresaw a bright future for her and decided to go all out to support her,” Soumyadeep said.

“I helped her acquire a sponsorship, for without financial support any progress on her part would have been impossible. She stays in my hostel in Jadavpore and trains under me. What I feel is helping her more is that she trains with the likes of Sutirtha (Mukherjee, national champion) and Krittwika (Sinha Roy) and hence is in a proper playing environment. She is picking up the nuances of the game from the right people.”

Currently a student of Class XI at Dogachia High School, Munmun is thankful for the cooperation she receives from the teachers. “I am unable to attend school regularly. Hardly ever manage to complete my projects on time… But the school authorities have always encouraged and cooperated in my endeavours,” she said.

Munmun, whose first trip abroad was to Slovenia in 2017 where she had bagged the team silver in the junior circuit, has been much influenced by watching Poulami Ghatak play. Poulami has won three junior national and seven senior national titles. She had participated in the Sydney Olympics when she was a only 16 years old. Like Poulami, Munmun too dreams of playing in the Olympics one day.

But for now, it is “six hours of practice everyday” as she readies to overcome all hurdles that come her way.