24-Year-Old Indian Para-Athlete Overcomes Villagers 'Waste' Label, Meets PM Modi
Rakshitha Raju, a young Indian para-athlete, has received many awards throughout her career, including gold medals. She also participated in the Paralympics in Paris in 2024.
In a BBC interview, 24-year-old Rakshitha Raju, a gold medallist at the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games and a competitor in the Paris Paralympics, talked frankly about her journey, the discrimination she faced due to her blindness, and her guide runner.
“She is a waste”
"When I was growing up, everyone in my village would say: 'She is blind, she is a waste,'" Raju stated in an interview with the station. She was born in a South Indian village and lost her parents when she was ten years old.
Her grandmother, who also had speech and hearing disabilities, raised her. "Both of us are disabled, so my grandma understood me," said Raju.
When did she start running?
According to the location, she was initially exposed to this sport when her teacher at school said that she may make a "great athlete." Her initial response, according to Raju, was, "I wondered: 'How? How can I run on a track that I cannot see since I am blind?
At that point, she learnt from her sports teacher that visually impaired runners can run with a guide; these individuals run alongside the athletes. The runners are joined by a tether.
How did her guide runner meet her?
For a while, other students or classmates served as her runners, she informed about it. But when she met Rahul Balakrishna in 2016, things was different. He was a middle-distance runner before joining the Indian Paralympic Committee to recover from his injuries.
He ultimately made the decision to work for Raju as a guide runner and coach. "I believe in my guide runner more than myself," Raju remarked, describing their close relationship.
Also, Raju has an Instagram feed with lots of pictures and videos that provide a window into her life. Also, other posts show her meeting with Mukesh Ambani and Prime Minister Modi.
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