Badminton, shooting, long jump and hockey - this yearâs Khelo India Youth Games, 2020 brought an immense level of young sporting talent to Guwahati, where throughout January, dozens competed in 20-odd sports, although within one particular competition, a rather unique young girl rose to the top of her game.

Three medals - two silver, one bronze hang around the neck of Upasha Talukdar, just twelve years old. âLook at the shape of my arm. See how my feet bend,â she said to The Indian Express, gracefully pointing towards her curved elbow, at her home in Guwahati. Upasha is a rhythmic gymnast - a form of gymnastics that combines dance, callisthenics and acrobatics in a stunning display, usually performed with a prop such as a ball, ribbon, rope or hoop.

Upashaâs talent is near-natural. Sheâs been called the ârubber band girlâ at school - able to perform feats such as scratch her ear with a backwards-bent toe - having picked up the art at the age of eight. 

Eventually, after having been trained in artistic gymnastics for a few years, she hit a major hurdle in her journey as a gymnast - one that could have stopped a lesser person. After being told that she had the aptitude for rhythmic gymnastics from her coaches, Upashaâs family struggled to find a viable coach to train her in Assam - even the entire Northeast.

© Khelo India

Luckily, her father, Nikunja Talukdar, wasnât willing to give up. âFor months, she would just while away hours sitting in the corner of the gymnasium waiting for her turn,â he said. It was then that Talkudar, a pharmacy owner by profession, got the bright idea to turn to the internet. Together, the father-daughter duo would seek out videos exhibiting the work of the top gymnasts in the world, and after studying their technique, Upasha would set off to the gymnasium to learn through mimicking their moves. 

Meanwhile, Nikunja would reach out to any gymnasts he found on the internet, hunting for a suitable coach for his daughter. âThe moment I saw someone was a gymnast, I would send a friend request,â he says, âI told them that I had a daughter and I needed someone to guide her.â

Over time, the pair developed relationships with gymnasts around the world - ranging from France, Russia, Australia, Uzbekistan, and Georgia. Russia, and the east-bloc in particular, has the greatest legacy in rhythmic gymnastics - the Olympic medal tally is led by USSR/Russia with 37 medals, followed by neighbour Romania with 22. The USA is at a distant third place with just 10.

It was from there that Upasha finally found her guide - 16-year-old rhythmic gymnast Olesya, who decided to train Upasha through Skype. âWe didnât understand Russian, they did not understand English!â explains Upasha, âWith the help of Google Translate and a very shaky internet connection, we managed.â

By the end of it, Upasha managed to prepare her first routine which led her to participate in a number of national-level junior competitions including the CBSE National Gymnastics (Haryana, 2017), Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education games (2018) and the sub-junior games organised by the Gymnastic Federation of India (2018). She won medals in all.

Finally, after several hurdles in finding practice areas and perfecting her technique, Upasha was able to shine on the national circuit at the Khelo India Youth Games - an even greater achievement considering that she competed and won medals in the under-17 competition, despite being just 12 years old.

On the horizon are dreams of Olympic standards, of course. In the meantime, however, Upasha wishes for better practice conditions so she can improve and compete at greater levels. âMany people think rhythmic gymnastics is just a âdanceâ, but it is actually so much more,â she says. 

âYou need strength, you need balance, you need to be flawless - you have to look like you are almost doing magic.â

Here is hoping Upasha finds the help she deserves from the Sports Ministry and can fulfil her dream of making it to the Olympics.

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