Santhi Soundaranjan interview: "All this unwanted attention kills me a little from inside"

DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 09: Santhi Soundarajan of India #2103 lies on the track.

Santhi Soundarajan was put through a lot of pain and humiliation after she failed a gender test, and was subsequently stripped of her medals. The humiliation got to her to such an extent that she even tried to end her life. However, she got over her past and moved on with her life. But that life that she moved on to isn’t necessarily a glamorous one. Until recently, she was living on daily wage, by working in a brick klin. She is being punished for a crime which she didn’t even commit. In our male-dominated Indian society which exudes bigoted notions of sex and sexuality, it’s going to be a never ending fight for Santhi to find her place in this society. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda correspondent Taruka Srivastav, Santhi spoke about the hardships that she has had to face.

Q. Your story was highlighted in several newspapers a couple of weeks ago. Are you happy that people are getting to know about the hardships that you’ve been made to face, or has all the attention made you uncomfortable?

Santhi: I am glad someone wrote about my plight. People are now sympathetic and supportive towards me. I was living a hard life previously and have gone through a lot of humiliation.

Q. You were successfully running an academy not so long ago before it was shut due to lack of funding. Do you think the government or district sports authority don’t want to fund something which is a direct competition to hostels set up by SAI?

Santhi: I was running my academy on my own money and wanted to produce some international class players, but unfortunately my dream came to an end as I ran out of money. All I can say is I wish I had more funds to continue with the academy.

Q. Has anyone from the Government come up to you and offered any assistance?

Santhi: Yes, Sports Minister Mr. Ajay Maken has been kind enough to offer me some assistance.

Q. Do you feel that the Athletics Federation of India has treated you well?

Santhi: They have not been very supportive and have withheld my prize money. After doing well for my country and dedicating my whole life to athletics, I deserve some respect. I got really frustrated with the way they were treating me.

Q. Some people claim that it is only when a female athlete does better than she’s expected to, that she is made to undergo all kinds of tests. Do you think that is true?

Santhi: It depends on the circumstances actually, but yes, women are more frequently targeted.

Q. Do you have any solution in mind to prevent other athletes in the future suffering the mistreatment that you suffered?

Santhi: I think all athletes should be given some kind of financial security in terms of job and pensions.They should be treated with respect. That’s the only way they can avoid getting into troubles the way I have

Q. If you are given a chance to represent India again, will you feel comfortable doing so?

Santhi: Yes, why not. I have given my entire life to my game and at this point of time, nothing can be more encouraging than representing my country.

Q. Are you hurt by the media’s treatment of your issue?

Santhi: A few have been able to understand me and my situation, while others have been quite insensitive, which has made me averse to speak to media people. But I am very thankful nevertheless as I have finally been able to get some help because of them.

Q. Athletics has given you a lot of success, but it has also brought you a lot of unwanted attention. When you look back on your career, do you feel happy or sad that you decided to enter this field?

Santhi: The success has been the result of my hard work over the years, but all this unwanted attention kills me a little from inside. Whatever I have achieved is due to my determination and love for athletics.

For those who don’t know the story of India’s prized runner click here.