I want to run as fast as I can.
— Hima Das
I used to run barefoot in my village some time back. Now, I have a branded shoe with my name on it.
I want for every child - regardless of their background, gender, caste, etc. - to be able to access schools that are safe and supportive so that they can learn and thrive.
I am hurt that some people criticise very harshly without even realising the hardships which we go through.
When I was in Class II, we used to walk about 5 km. to school. I did not know of Olympics or even athletics then. One day, a friend went in a car and left me behind. I was so angry, I wanted to run and outrace the car. I ran so fast that I tripped and fractured my knee.
I am still the same village girl from Dhing who used to help my father in the paddy field, help mother in household chores, run for hours on the streets of Dhing, play football with my Mon Jai group friends.
My biggest support and backbone have been my friends.
I have made my schedule in such a way that whenever I am getting time from studies, I do my training.
I know my family's condition and how we struggled. But the Almighty has something for everybody.
I was naughty but never demanding. I never asked my parents for shoes or tracksuits. I was happy with what I had.
I don't think about medals. I just think of bettering my own time.
The pressure has increased; I have to practise more and keep performing better.
Wherever they send us to practice, we will go.
Whatever the rules are, we have to follow them. I have no problem with it.
We are human beings, at the end of the day. Success and failure are a part and parcel of our life.
I used to play everything, but people in my village said football is in my blood because my father has been a footballer.
I used to wake up at 5 A.M., and my routine involved six hours of training, both in the morning and evening.
I don't show tension and nervousness, but I know how fast my heartbeat races before a race.
What I think is about running faster and faster, and I believe that will translate into medals.
I am living a dream.
My paternal uncle and aunt have jobs, and they are the ones who feed the family with a regular income.
Hima is Hima only. I haven't changed.
My role model was Sachin Tendulkar as a kid. I feel very proud that I have been able to follow his footsteps and become a UNICEF ambassador like him.
I haven't changed, but people's perception changed.
Even Sachin used to get ducks during his career. There are ups and downs in every athlete's career.
I don't worry about timings or what somebody else is doing in another lane.
Our village is very small, so I wasn't surprised when I heard some negative comments from my neighbours on my interest in sports. But nothing mattered, as I always knew what I was doing and why I was doing it.
I thrive in competition. It feels good to improve timings and create records.
I am a positive person, and I want to look ahead in life and do something for my parents and the country.
My father was a footballer, and he has inspired me.
I live in a joint family with 17 members under one roof. My father is an MA, but he didn't get a job, because all his certificates got destroyed when our house caught fire. So my father took up farming - fish farming and vegetable farming.
