Carrom champion coaches youth, hopes to land a govt. job

21-year-old L. Keerthana, a carrom champion from a humble background, inspires others through her dedication and coaching efforts.

At a modest home in Washermenpet, barely spacious enough to fit a carrom board, a nearly five-feet gold trophy lies tucked away among piles of clothes, utensils, and personal belongings. It belongs to 21-year-old L. Keerthana, the winner of the 52nd Senior National Carrom Championship held recently in New Delhi.

She lives with her single mother and two brothers. At just 21, Ms. Keerthana is already a source of inspiration. She not only practises, but also coaches younger players at the residence of her mentor, M. Nithyarajan, in Royapuram. He runs a free informal carrom training centre for children of daily-wage workers at his residence.

Ms. Keerthana’s journey has been anything but easy. She was introduced to carrom by her father, a daily-wage labourer, when she was in the third grade. Encouraged by his interest, she and her siblings began playing regularly under his guidance. However, in 2019, her father passed away. Financial struggles forced Ms. Keerthana to step away from the game to work and support her family. Without having cleared her 10th grade exams, her job prospects were limited.

“My mother never asked me to stop playing carrom,” Ms. Keerthana recalls, adding: “But watching her struggle every day as a domestic worker made me realise that playing carrom alone wouldn’t put food on the table. So I took up a job at a steel company assembling cookers.”

Six months later, Mr. Nithyarajan — whom she had known since her early carrom-playing days at a local club, through his children who also play carrom — was registering participants for a State-level tournament in Madurai. When he invited her to participate, she hesitated, knowing she could not afford the travel expenses.

But with the support of Mr. Nithyarajan, the Tamil Nadu Carrom Association (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) and the Chennai District Carrom Association, she entered the tournament and won a prize. That victory rekindled her passion and confidence. Encouraged by Mr. Nithyarajan, also a former hockey player, she resumed playing full-time, and soon began winning regularly. “Ms. Keerthana coached my daughter, and thanks to her guidance, she went on to win a medal. That made me want to support Ms. Keerthana in return. But more than that, she is an excellent player. Her talent deserves to be recognised,” he said.

Her most significant achievement was in March 2025 when she clinched the first place in both the women’s singles and women’s team categories at the national championship in New Delhi.