Bengaluru: In a world where para sports are still fighting for equal footing, three women from Karnataka are quietly rewriting the narrative — not just with milestones and medals, but with grit, grace, and relentless hope.They’ve fallen. Been frowned upon. Told they couldn’t do it. But Rakshitha Raju, Harshita Tater, and Shilpa Kanchugarkoppalu were determined to script their stories and step into the limelight instead of shying away from it. Hailing from different corners of Karnataka, these three para athletes carry the weight of struggles many will not see. For all three, the athletics track became a place of freedom. Their journeys are marked by quiet courage, unbreakable will, and a belief that they are more than the labels the world gave them. At the recently concluded Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship in Bengaluru, the trio reminded all that the human spirit — when pushed — can soar far beyond what the eye can see.Rakshitha RajuWhen Rakshitha lost her farmer-parents at a young age, the world seemed stacked against her. Her mother Geetha passed away when she was two years old, and eight years later, she lost her father, Raju. Raised by a deaf grandmother, Lalithamma, who works on a farm in Mudigere, the Paris Paralympian found herself navigating a childhood shadowed by social alienation and financial burden. Born blind, she recalls being mocked and written off. “They would tell me I’m a waste,” the 24-year-old recalled, “But my grandmother, being disabled herself, understood me.”At the age of 8, she got her first taste of running. A schoolteacher at Asha Kiran Blind School in Chikkamagaluru noticed her sprinting and encouraged her to pursue athletics. Despite the odds, the two-time Asian Games medallist clung to her passion. Her resilience and talent eventually caught the attention of her coach and guide runner — Rahul Balakrishna — at the national championships in Delhi, and he invited her to train at the Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru. “He has been my biggest support,” she said gratefully.But Rakshitha’s dreams don’t end on the track. Off the field, she harbours an equally ambitious goal — to crack the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) examination. “I love studying,” she said. “Becoming an IAS officer is my dream. I’m not eligible for IPS because I’m blind, but IAS allows me to serve.”Harshita TaterFor Bengaluru girl Harshita, sport wasn’t a childhood dream — it was a lifeline that emerged during the chaos of Covid-19. As a medical student helping with patient care, the T37-category athlete (those with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement and coordination) began running to improve her lung capacity. What started as a coping mechanism quickly transformed into a calling. A year on, Harshita, who has made her mark at the national stage in 200m and 400m and is now enjoying a fine showing in long jump, made a bold decision — to leave MBBS behind to chase the finish line instead.“Letting go of medicine was tough,” admitted the athlete, who suffered a brain clot after a fall as a baby. “It was my childhood dream. But running gave me something I had never felt before — a sense of purpose,” said Harshita, who was spotted by coach Gurkaran Singh, who continues to train her along with Vikram Aiyappa.She switched to studying psychology, determined to one day blend sport and mental health into a meaningful career.Life as a para athlete, however, hasn’t been easy. “You don’t have a fixed calendar. There’s no personal life.” Yet, she has no regrets. What keeps her going is the small, daily satisfaction of pushing her limits and the joy of seeing her young nephew proudly running around with her medals.With her sights firmly set on the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, Harshita is determined to break into the world’s top 10. “Discipline over motivation,” said the 25-year-old, whose father has an electrical business and mother is a homemaker. “That’s what sport has taught me,” said the confessed foodie, who is running not just for medals, but also to inspire, include, and redefine possibility. Shilpa KanchugarkoppaluShilpa, a para athlete from Krishnarajanagar in Mysuru district, is proof it is never too late to chase a dream. At 29, under the guidance of coach Raghavendra SG, she took her first steps into sport — on a prosthetic leg. Today, at 36, she is one of India’s most promising para athletes in shot put and discus throw.A childhood accident led to the amputation of her leg, but Shilpa, daughter of a farmer, never let that stop her. Initially a Kannada teacher, she gave up her job to dedicate herself to sport. “I started playing volleyball first, but it was a team effort. In athletics, I win or lose on my own — and that gives me strength,” said Shilpa, who competes in the F57 category (athletes with lower limb impairments).Shilpa trains at Sree Kanteerava Stadium under coach ED Eshan, and has won several medals at national and international events. Yet, financial challenges loom large. Coming from an economically backward background, she struggles to afford basic gear, let alone expensive equipment or artificial limbs.Despite it all, she finds joy in sport. Now preparing for the upcoming Asian Para Games, Shilpa continues to battle the odds — not just on the field, but off it too — with quiet determination and unwavering passion. All she seeks is a chance and a little support.
