Atanu Banerjee

Calcutta: Atanu Banerjee is no ordinary postman. The mornings are devoted to his job with the Speed Post department — delivering letters in the Thakurpukur (Calcutta-63) area.

Come the evenings, Banerjee switches to a different role, adorning the basketball referee’s uniform. That’s routine, too.

But the fact that he has been chosen by Fiba (the international basketball federation) as a neutral referee for the U-21 women’s World Basketball Championship in Russia (subject to passing a fitness test) makes it clear that Banerjee is going places.

The 35-year-old will leave for Moscow on Tuesday for the June 29 to July 8 meet.

Banerjee, a Fiba certificate-holder, is the second Indian to be bestowed such honour. Gens Verghese of Kerala had officiated in the last edition in Sibenik, Croatia.

The postman from Bengal is among 19 referees chosen from across the world for the meet which will bring together 12 nations.

“It’s a matter of pride for me. I could not reach this level as a player, so obviously it’s a feeling hard to express,” Banerjee told The Telegraph.

The Chetla resident is a fitness freak. “Everyday I’ve to train rigorously to keep myself in good shape,” Banerjee said. That will help him in the fitness test before the meet gets underway.

A not-so-successful basketballer — he represented Bengal twice (in 1987 and 1991) — Banerjee turned to refereeing in 1997. Seven years later, he acquired an A-class certificate from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

The journey continued through 10 national championships, before he earned the Fiba certificate in Bangladesh last year. His first international break came in the Women’s Junior Asian Championship (Bangkok) in January this year. It was the turning point of his career. “The Fiba officials were watching… I did a good job, though I was a bit nervous… I think they were impressed by my performance and gave me a chance to officiate in the senior men’s Asian qualifying meet last month,” he said.

At the senior level, he is “almost half the height” of the taller players, Banerjee joked. “Yet they respect me… call me ‘Sir’, which is a rarity in Indian basketball,” he said.

A spotless performance is what Banerjee is targeting at the world championship. “If I do well, I may get a chance at the world U-19 meet next month… It would be a kind of promotion for me,” said Banerjee, whose dream is to officiate in the Olympics.