Hima Das, A Champion With a Cause

Camera by Shiv Kumar Maurya
Edited by Rahul Sanpui

Football was her first love, athletics happened to her by chance. But two years after choosing to pursue it professionally, Hima Das is now one of India’s fastest women.

She is also a three-time Asian Games medallist, an Arjuna Awardee and the national record-holder in 400m, an event she started competing in only this year.

However, that’s now all that makes this young woman from Assam’s Dhing village so special. "I am a socialist, I don’t like illegal things,” she tells me as we talk about her home and her run-ins with neighbours who she caught selling illegal alcohol.

Read excerpts from the interview below.

Just two years since you even considered running as a career, you are one of the country’s top sportspersons and will be honoured with the Arjuna Award soon as well. Did you even think you life would change so much, so fast?

I never thought all this would happen so fast. I knew things would happen, but I never thought it would happen so fast.

400m is now your main event in which you won a gold at the U-20 World Championships, and a silver at the Asian Games. But just six months back, you didn’t even compete in the event! You used to prefer the shorter distances, isn’t it?

I used to practise the 400m race, but never competed in the event. I was called to the India camp to give a trial in the 400m and that’s how it started. Back home in Assam, both my coaches used to make me practise the 400m because if you run the 400m, you can compete in two events - the main race and also the relay. For the 400m (relay), they take six runners in a team, and that was my aim, to make it to the relay team and represent India.

Since your win, you have met ministers and big dignitaries. Have you spoken to them about the changes you’d like to bring to your village in Assam? Is the story about you burning your neighbour’s illegal alcohol shop supply true?

Selling alcohol and these illegal things, I don’t like illegal things.  I am a socialist. I am the Student Union’s Game Secretary.  I had just graduated the 10th standard back then, and I used to see people coming and going from the alcohol shop.  They would drink in the car. I got angry and I told my mother that if such things continue, I will not be able to do anything good. Not just me, even our village would not prosper. The next day, we called the women and asked them to close the shop. They abused us and I got quite angry. Later, I found a lot of alcohol. I threw it all on the road and burned it. One guy came on a bike later and said, ‘I will sell alcohol, what will you do?’ I got very angry. I made him stop his bike. I didn't beat him. Just stopped him. He said things to my parents and I didn't like it so I gave it back to him.

And this is something you hope your success will help change? That it will help bring positivity and prosperity to your village?

I went home some time back and met my fan club. My teachers have arranged a ‘Hima Fans Club’, and we all went and planted 3,000 trees in Dhing. Neem trees, they help decrease pollution. India’s pollution problem is escalating quickly. So we all planted trees together. Our societies need to be maintained properly so people can prosper in other fields.

So many medals have been won by you in such a short time. These six months really must be the best of your life? Could you tell me how much really has your life changed?

My life has undergone ‘dhoom dhaam’ changes in the last few months. There are also brands now coming forward to work with me. I am associated with Adidas and am quite happy about it. There’s a plus-point to it, ‘Hima Das, Adidas’, my names works well into the brand’s.