She is a seventeen-year-old, petite teenager from Kolkata with long, fancy nails, studying for her board exams. There seems to be nothing out of the ordinary about her. She comes across as extremely polite and, to some extent, meek, even asking her mother at this age if she can have a piece of the cake that a family friend got specially for her.
However, more than politeness, what catches one’s attention is her calm face and gentle demeanor. And let that not fool you. There is more to her than what catches the eye.
Meet Rishika Banerjee, who made history by becoming the youngest ever National Open Weight Adult Women’s Full-Contact Karate Champion at the age of 16 in January 2025, a title earned at the prestigious national championship held in Raniganj, West Bengal.
Behind the innocent smile lies the unshakeable focus and an intense passion for full-contact Karate. Rishika is also the first Indian to win the European Kyokushin Full Contact Karate Championship under 16 in Barcelona, Spain, in 2023. That’s not all. She has also won numerous other tournaments, including the Bravehearts Combat Cup – Kickboxing National Championship Open Weight Women’s Category, the 3rd Captain’s Cup – Full Contact Karate (Kyokushin) Championship, and the Middle Weight Women’s Category, among others.
Attaining her first black belt in Shotokan Karate at the age of 12, her incredible martial arts journey began when she was just 4 years old. According to her, she first glimpsed her passion at her mother’s enterprise, Work Wonders, which offered a variety of activities and educational classes for small children, including Karate, one of the classes.
While her mother, Sharanya Banerjee, now an awardee of 2nd Dan Black Belt from Japan Karate Association and an accomplished martial arts coach herself, noticed the love for Karate in Rishika’s eyes, it was Rishika’s father, Mayukh Banerjee, who coached her. A black belt in Shotokan and a 3rd Dan in Kyokushin, Mayukh, along with his wife, founded a Mixed Martial Arts Academy, Mike’s Martial Arts (a school for training in various self-defense art forms) in Kolkata, where Rishika is being trained along with various other students.
When asked about what she likes to do during her free time, she giggled and said, “Training and hanging out with friends.” What started as a cool hobby has changed Rishika’s life forever and has risen her to fame.
However, while she deeply appreciates the attention she receives because of her achievements at such a young age, she is also mindful of the fact that she is more fortunate than many who share the same passion but cannot pursue it due to various constraints.
Struggling to maintain its relevance in today’s era of cricket, football, and tennis, Karate as a sport has yet to achieve its full significance in India and gain the support of associations and corporations.
“More often than not, I am the only one representing India in tournaments,” says Rishika.
“As coaches, we see so many talented fighters, and then as time passes by, the numbers keep reducing owing to a lack of training infrastructure and financial support in not just West Bengal but even elsewhere in the country. It is a sad situation. We are also unsure how long we can continue to support Rishika’s passion. Another problem is also how the sport is perceived, even by parents. Little do they know that this sport also fuels concentration and discipline—two qualities needed for any career choice. Rishika is performing better academically as the days go by. However, the dual hindrance of false perception and low interest is making it a humongous task to change mindsets and gain support for the sport and talent already available in India”, adds Sharanya.
There is no dearth of grit, ability, or discipline in Rishika as far as Karate goes. The only hurdle is maintaining participation in international tournaments.
“Though she wants to be a teacher now, we know, as parents, that Rishika is being practical and understands that pursuing Karate may not help her in the future with the current situation. We will try our best and to whatever extent we can to help her pursue her dreams,” says Sharanya.
After some coaxing, the extremely shy young champion revealed that she has many friends and enjoys baking.
“My friends think I can take on anybody. They are really proud of me,” adds a chuckling Rishika. Although she admits that her parents hardly put any pressure on her to win, she herself finds it difficult not to focus on winning, and that’s the hardest thing for her.
The hunger in her eyes to make the country proud on the global platform is hard to miss. The question is, will the system give her wings to fly higher?
Rishika, the winner of several accolades, is the epitome of grit and discipline.
“Training is in my hands, and I give it my all,” says this young warrior, determined to be a flag bearer of martial arts in India and represent India globally as a talent hub. However, only time will tell if she gets the support to win the tournament of making her dream come true and soar higher, because one thing is for sure and as Rishika herself says, “When my opponents see me for the first time, they think they can beat me up, but they have no idea what’s coming!“