Meet Indian athlete who was called ‘waste’, praised by Mukesh Ambani, PM Modi, not Manu Bhaker, she is...

Rakshitha Raju is a 24-year-old gold medalist runner who won the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games and even participated in Paris paralympics. Talking to BBC, she described how people used to discriminate against her due to her blindness and how she got inspired after being guided.  

The paralympic athlete’s Instagram handle is full of videos and pictures that reveal her life’s phases. After her many athletic achievements, she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire industrialist Mukesh Amabani 

Raju was called a ‘waste’ 

She said, “When I was growing up, everyone in my village would say: 'She is blind, she is a waste'.” Rakshitha Raju’s parents were from South India who died when she was 10. Losing her parents at an early age, her grandmother raised her who had problems with hearing and speech. “Both of us are disabled, so my grandma understood me,” Raju said. 

Raju’s shock 

Unlike her village people, her sports teacher at school saw potential in her and called her a “great athlete.”  She introduced Rakshitha Raju to running which initially shocker her as ‘she wondered’ “How? I am blind, so how do I run on a track I can't see?’.” 

That was when her sports teacher explained to her the role of a guide runner for visually impaired athletes. She said that they run alongside the athletes and that the runners are connected by a rope. 

Rakshitha Raju’s running journey 

She said that initially her classmates fulfilled the need of a guide runner for her. However, a big change came her way in 2016 when she met Rahul Balakrishna. Initially a middle-distance runner, he transitioned to working with the Paralympic Committee of India during his recovery from injuries. 

He later became a coach and a guide runner for Raju. Raju described their strong bond, and said, “I believe in my guide runner more than myself.”