A doctor, a TED fellow, and India's leading woman sailor — Dr Rohini Rau's inspiring journey

Having battled criticism, politics and numerous challenges, Rohini Rau, a doctor who is also a TED fellow, showcased her impact on Indian sailing by winning eight gold medals in consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, two every year.

Born and brought up in Chennai, Rohini Rau's childhood was a balance between a mother's undivided support and a father's strong will.

Speaking with YourStory, Rohini says that the different mindsets of her parents made her realise what she was good at. That was how she and her brother got to choose what they wanted to do.

"My mother was generous and always appreciated everything my brother and I did, whereas my father was difficult to impress. So, the contrast really helped me get to where I am today. My mother got us engaged in activities like playing the piano, violin, martial arts, theatre, singing, horse riding, and then finally sailing."

She credits her mother, who was a marine microbiologist from the University of Portsmouth, for her success. Her mother would often visit the Madras Yacht Club even when she was pregnant. Rohini was introduced to sailing at the age of one, and she started participating in competitions when her mother enrolled her for a summer coaching camp when she was 10 years old. Rohini had never seen sailing as a competitive sport, but what started out as a fun hobby for weekends changed her life. She explains how sailing calls for one’s knowledge and intelligence as much as the great deal of physical effort it consumes.

"You need to have the knowledge of physics and meteorology to understand weather, wind patterns, tide patterns, sailing rules, tactics. You also need to know how to handle other competitors and elements that are not in your control. So, it definitely makes you a well-rounded person."

Year after year, Rohini kept getting better at it — in Class XII she won her first gold medal in the Asian Sailing Championships in January 2004.

"It was a defining moment for me. Listening to the national anthem play while representing the country, sleeping next to our gold medals, waking up to the excitement — it was surreal."

However, pursuing her education alongside sailing became difficult for Rohini. There was a point when she wasn’t allowed to take her board exam because she could not pass her preliminary exam for Maths. But Rohini turned out to be the only one from her batch who made it to medical school.

Narrating how things changed for her, she says that on a road trip, her mother made her jot down things that interested her and they zeroed in on Biology, Travel, and People. Following that, Rohini started to work on her interests, and she later joined Women’s Christian College, Chennai, to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While at college, she gave medical school a shot through sports quota. Fortunately for her, that was the first time sailing had become a part of the sports quota for admission. Rohini stood third in the competition for entrance and won herself a seat in Chengalpattu Government Medical College.

Once she started college, Rohini was constantly pressurised to quit sailing and completely focus on education. Her first-year final exams collided with the world championship. Looking back, Rohini is grateful to her college dean who pushed her to participate in the championship and allowed her to take her exams six months later. With more championships to participate in and the consequent delays in exams, it took Rohini an extra of three and half years to finish her MBBS.

Recalling her struggles, Rohini goes on to say that she had to face flak and discouragement from the sailing federation authorities as well, due to internal politics and irregularities. There were instances when they would not send her ahead in competitions stating baseless reasons such as lack of funds or the absence of necessary sanctions. Rohini says,

"I was told that the federation would not send me for competitions or training abroad unless I beat the men. So, I did that! I tied for the first place in a national championship."

Rohini narrates another instance, during the last race of the 2008 national championship, “I was the clear winner of the open category (men and women). I was coming first in that race, but there were three army men who kept covering me and would not let me go where I wanted to so that another guy could go past me. I was the only girl in the top 10 and the rest were men. In the end, I finished second, tied with the guy for first place. It’s fine! It was a compliment for me that they took me seriously and decided to team race against me as they saw me as a threat.”

Besides being a sailor and a doctor, Rohini also became a TED Fellow in 2009 when she was nominated by someone who came across her on Google and contacted her. With zero idea of what TED was about, she went ahead and applied anyway and got accepted for the fellowship, which according to Rohini has changed her life.

Having met many interesting and inspiring personalities in places like Canada, Tanzania through TED, Rohini got to start numerous collaborations and projects on health research. She remarks,

"I think it is one place where I felt I could be myself, as all the fellows were amazing and did lots of amazing things. I didn’t feel like an outsider. And it is a place where you can really collaborate and get the best support."

Rohini had acted in an Italian film at the age of 12 and she was the playback singer for the title track of Tamil film Three Roses. Married to her best friend Krishna Kumar who is a theatre actor/director and a national level swimmer, she now works as a Duty Medical Officer for Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. In 2005, she was elected as one of top 50 young achievers of India by India Today — one of the many feathers with which she humbly adorns her hat. Talking of the future, Rohini says,

"I plan on finishing my MSc in Internal Medicine from the University of Edinburgh and I am looking forward to more exciting prospects. Right now, I am happy that I can grab any opportunity that comes my way. And I am extremely grateful for that.

As for sailing — I have no plans of getting back! But I never say never."