Surya Charishma Tamiri was in for quite the memorable end to 2025.
First came the biggest moment of her young career: the 19-year-old fought back from a game down to defeat Tanvi Patri 17-21, 21-12, 21-14 and clinch her maiden title at the Senior National Badminton Championships, the women’s singles crown confirming her arrival on the big stage.
Watching the final closely was one of Indian badminton’s biggest icons, P.V. Sindhu. As the match unfolded, Sindhu took to X (formerly Twitter) to sing Charishma’s praises.
“Eyes absolutely glued to the women’s final right now. Cherry is holding her own so well and the composure she’s showing today is genuinely impressive. My heart is with Cherry, the girl from my state. Chances like this are rare for her and she’s grabbing it with both hands,” she posted.
When Charishma was told about it moments after sealing the title, she was momentarily lost for words.
“Wow! Really? That means a lot. I cannot describe how happy that makes me feel. Winning the title gave me a lot of joy today, and knowing Sindhu tweeted about me makes me even happier,” she told The Hindu.
The palpable excitement in her voice was understandable, given that Sindhu has long been one of Charishma’s idols.
“I have always watched Sindhu and Tai Tzu [Ying], I get inspired by them. Sindhu akka because she works very hard and is also a Telugu girl like me. That motivates me, she also won medals at the Olympics,” she said, adding, “I try to model my strokeplay on Tai Tzu.”
At the Chennupati Ramakotaiah Indoor Stadium on Sunday, Charishma was pushed hard by Tanvi, who was bidding to become the youngest senior national champion. After losing the opening game, Charishma was forced to reassess.
“I played to her style initially. She put me in the back. I attacked, and she could play comfortably. From the second game, my coaches asked me to focus on the length and suggested I toss it up. That produced more rallies and it helped my case. I was patient,” she explained.
“I found my comfort zone in the third game, but it was in the second game, when I took a 11-7 lead, that I got the belief that I could make a comeback in the final.”
While the title was special, one match stood out even more for Charishma during the tournament – her victory over top seed Unnati Hooda in the quarterfinals.
“That ranks high for me because she is one of the top players in the world now and has also won international tournaments. So it was a big thing for me to defeat her.”
Striking gold
For Charishma’s father Naveen Babu Tamiri , a goldsmith by profession, supporting his daughter’s sporting dreams has always come before everything else. That the tournament is happening in the family’s backyard helped him cheer for her from the stands.
“She used to be very energetic as a child,” Naveen Babu recalled. “When she was in UKG, we put her in a fitness program. I used to play badminton for fun in Dandamudi (a village in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh), and she used to accompany me. When she joined a few summer camps, her coaches suggested she take up the sport seriously,” he recalled.
Charishma began structured training in the fourth standard, and two years later started working with coach K. Bhaskar, whom she has been training under to date.
Despite the pride and joy of his daughter’s national triumph, Naveen’s thoughts quickly turned to the challenges ahead, particularly financial ones.
“I have been managing everything on my own. I’m pooling every resource I have to keep her training going.”
Breaking onto the international circuit, he explained, requires sustained backing.
“In the under-19s, she didn’t play abroad at all. She played only in India and still finished in the top 15. My schoolmates sponsored two tournaments. The Kalamandir Group supported two as well. But you can’t keep asking people again and again, right?”
Earlier this year, some relief came when Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Information Technology, Nara Lokesh, stepped in.
“I met Lokesh sir once, when their government came into power. I explained to him the financial support we need, I told him that there is a 100% chance of us playing in the Olympics if we have that support because Charishma has that caliber. He released Rs 12,90,000 to us. We don’t know if it’s a one-time thing or an annual assistance, we are still waiting for an appointment.”
Charishma has also found strong backing from her college, Chitkara University in Chhattisgarh.
“They gave her free admission and allow her to write exams online. All they ask is that she plays for them in university tournaments. They’ve also provided financial help whenever needed.”
Dear diary
Beyond her five hours of daily training, Charishma has another constant companion: a diary she has maintained since the sixth standard, on the advice of the late Sudhakar Reddy, a senior Indian badminton coach.
“I write about what I do every day, about the situations I faced, how I played, the mistakes I made, and what I learned,” Charishma stingily revealed.
Access to that diary, however, is now strictly restricted.
“It is completely personal. I won’t show it to anyone. My family used to see when I was younger, by hook or by crook. Now I don’t show it to them,” she quipped.
Charishma’s rise has drawn interest from several academies, including the renowned Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy. For now, though, circumstances keep her rooted in Vijayawada.
“My mother is elderly and is battling cancer. My father passed quite suddenly recently. When he was alive, he was there to take care of the business while I managed other things, Charishma’s career included. After his passing, I cannot leave my mother alone. I don’t think it’s right,” Naveen Babu explained.
For Charishma, the focus remains firmly on progress, one step at a time.
“If I could face anyone right now, it would be An Se-young. She’s World No. 1, and it would be a great experience.”
The bigger dream, though, is clear.
“My life’s goal is to play in the Olympics. Before that, I want to play international tournaments and break into the top 100.”
For Charishma, this national title is proof not of arrival, but of direction. For her father, the medal was less about colour and more about confirmation, with years of sacrifice finding validation and, by extension, renewed purpose.
