Leadership, innovation, service to society, and more. The Hindu World of Women 2024 awards sought to spotlight the achievements of 13 women who have shone bright in their fields and continue to impact the lives of many. We profile three awardees, who have stories of grit and perseverance to share.
R Roja, The Hindu Contribution to Society Award
“When someone dies, their families come together and send them off with song and dance. What about those who have no one?” asks R Roja. It is this question that prompted her to help with a dignified burial for an abandoned corpse she saw at a burial ground in the city over two decades ago.
This 39-year-old resident of Mylapore has ensured dignified burials for thousands of people over the years. “I work alone. The police usually reach out to me if there are bodies in mortuaries across the city, that are unclaimed for over 40 days,” she says.
Roja works at a binding unit as part of a press, and says that she takes time off work to make arrangements for the burials. “In a month, I help with at least 20 burials in the city,” she says. While the authorities have coordinated, and been helpful to her in carrying out her service to society, her friends pitch in with small financial donations.
“While I consider myself their mother and help with the burial, I always pray that no one else should be alone in death,” she says.
Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla, The Hindu Achievement in Surpassing Disability Award
Paralympian Malathi Karishnamurthy Holla says she refrains from stating that she has been ‘affected’ by polio. “ I tell people this is God’s gift to me,” she smiles.
When she was 14 months old, polio left Malathi paralysed in her lower limbs. What followed was spending the next 15 years in a healthcare centre in Chennai, entailing multiple surgeries before she moved back to Bengaluru.
“Back then, when I started to get interested in athletics, there was little to no awareness about sports for persons with disabilities. Times have changed for the better now, and para-athletes are celebrated by the Government, the media and society,” she says, and acknowledges the strong foundation that many athletes like her have laid as they found their way. She has participated in multiple Paralympic Games, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games, and has won around 400 medals as a celebrated champion in athletics.
She calls herself a mother to 53 children with disabilities she supports through her trust, Mathru Foundation, established in 2004. “Even if I am physically not too strong, I have always been proud of my mental strength and confidence. I want to give all these children a fulfilling childhood, something that I was unable to enjoy,” she adds.
Malathi is quick to say that she is not dedicating her life to this cause. “Dedication is a big word. I am simply living my life,” she says.
Elavenil Valarivan, The Hindu Excellence in Sports Award
Elavenil Valarivan’s eyes light up when asked about her talent for marksmanship.
“As a child though, I was interested in all other sports except shooting. I initially even found it boring, but the challenges the sport gave me, made it interesting and kept me on my toes,” she says, of her early foray into the sport when she was 13 years old.
While she was born in Cuddalore and raised in Ahmedabad, the 24- year-old shooter has been training out of Chennai for the last six years. “At one point of time, I was the youngest in senior national championships. There are now around 8,000 participants in the nationals, and the sport is growing by leaps and bounds. It is on the right path, and in the right hands for the future,” she says.
Elavenil’s achievements include multiple gold medals at the ISSF Junior World Cups, and more recently, a gold medal at the 2023 World cup in Rio. In 2022, the rifle shooter was conferred the Arjuna Award for her excellence in sports.
For her, being a woman has been her superpower. “Sport has evolved in such a way that people are looking to explore so many more sports apart from cricket, and women are taking the world by storm,” says the promising young athlete.
