Meet Shruti Roychowdhury, a Class XI student of Methodist School, Dankuni. When she started learning karate at the Uttarpara Martial Arts Club at the tender age of five in May 1992, little did anyone guess that she was to become a notable figure in the world of karate within a very short span of time.
Under the able guidance of her coaches, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee and Mr. Supriyo Chatterjee, this talented youngster has numerous state-level, national and international awards in her kitty.
Shruti has won the first position in the Kumite style in competitions like ‘Rajiv Gandhi gold cup national (1994-95)’, ‘First all India Karate Championship 1995’, ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Karate Championship (1995-96)’, ‘All India
Sports Karate Do Championship 1996’ and ‘Second all India Maa Sahebmeena Jai Thackray Karate championship 1996’. She has even won the first positions in both Kumite and Kata styles in competitions like the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth Kamgata cup all India karate tournaments in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003 respectively.
On 20 November, 2003, this very gifted lass did her 3rd Dan Black Belt from the ‘All Nippon Karate-Do conference, Japan’ to become the youngest female 3rd Dan Black Belt holder in the world of Sei-Go- Kai Karate Do, which is the style of karate which Shruti learns.
This champ was also selected to represent W.B. as a referee and judge in the ‘1st North India karate tournament, 2003’ and was awarded the ‘Best Female Referee’ award.
Here’s wishing this aspiring teenager the very best of luck.