MRITYUNJOY CHATTERJEE |
She is the daughter of a rice farmer in remote Assam. Her name is Hima — daughter of Ranjit and Jomali das.

■ Hima
On the fateful day — Ranjit and Jomali sat before a neighbour’s television and watched Hima win the gold. Then they wept…tears of joy, tears of pride. Tears to wipe away years of deprivation.
She was always a rebel. When girls of her age played with mud dolls, she played football with boys and ran in the rice fields and along the running train line much before she saw a real race track for the first time
Ranjit wore a “Gamocha” and invited the entire village next day to share their joy, distributing “Batasa”. Then he was back in his rice field tilling the ground. Jomali back in the backyard doing house chores. Life must go on, unaware almost of the laurels that poured in from across the world. Unware almost that their daughter was — Breaking News.
Hima and her family survived on just a piece of “Do Bigha Zameen”. She fed on rice and “daal” — not any protein supplements or bars.
She was always a rebel. When girls of her age played with mud dolls, she played football with boys and ran in the rice fields and along the running train line much before she saw a real race track for the first time.
She wore a pair of worn out spikes but never let that matter.
She was made of steel and notorious for having a one track mind–never caring who her competition was in the next lane. She just wanted to win every time she raced.
And, she just took the Gold in the U–20 400 metres in the world championship in Finland, outrunning much hyped competitors.
She just wore the national tricolour and took a silent victory lap. She just stood on the winning rostrum and cried silently as the National Anthem played.
She became the first Indian to win a Gold in any World Championship in track events.
That’s what success looks like. That is what champions are made of.
She proved to the hilt, the saying- “Work silently, let your success make all the noise”
In a country where we worship only the Mahis…it’s time to raise our voice and support the Himas. ■
(Mrityunjoy Chatterjee, Director at NSHM Faculty of Media, design & Communication.)