Bullied for skin tone and disability: How Thulasimathi Murugesan made Paralympic history and won Arjuna Award

For Paris Paralympics silver medallist Thulasimathi Murugesan, life has been anything but easy. The para-shuttler has overcome numerous challenges, both personal and professional, with unwavering determination, but one quality that sets her apart from the rest is her positive attitude toward life.

Thulasimathi was born with a deformity in her left hand , a problem that limited her movements. Yet, that did not stop her from taking up athletics at the young age of five, and by the age of seven, she was introduced to badminton. Ever since then, her trajectory has only gone upward, regardless of the challenges she has faced.

A gold medal at the Paralympics may not have come her way, but Thulasimathi, who hails from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, is still overjoyed with whatever she has achieved in Paris . So much so that, she is ready to put her focus back on her studies.

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Though Thulasimathi Murugesan narrowly missed the gold, her silver medal is a testament to her incredible determination and skill. 🥈 She’s already focusing on areas for improvement and is motivated to come back stronger. 🌟

Every step forward is progress, and this silver… pic.twitter.com/bcQGDgrgz4

— Paralympic Committee of India (@PCI_IN_Official) September 3, 2024

Thulasimathi has had to sacrifice two years of studies to prepare for the Paris Paralympics. In the two years leading up to the 2024 Paralympics, Thulasimathi participated in more than 15 badminton tournaments. And in the end, it was worth it. “As of now, I’m focused on my studies because I sacrificed two years of my studies. I’m doing veterinary medicine third year now. I have to study now.

“I participated in 15 international tournaments before the Paralympics to get selected. This is not like engineering, where you can come back and write the exams and all that. We need attendance to continue our studies in veterinary medicine. That’s the norm,” the Kanchipuram-born youngster told Firstpost during an exclusive interaction. “Because I sacrificed my two years, so I have to sit and study now,” she added.

So, does that mean badminton will take a backseat for Thulasimathi? “No, not exactly. I still wish to compete in the most important tournaments, but veterinary medicine has been my passion. Because, in my childhood days, I saw my father adopting stray dogs. So, my father’s gesture inspired me and eventually I got interested in taking up veterinary medicine.”

Crucial role of Thulasimathi’s father 

Her father, D Murugesan, has been the backbone of her badminton career. A daily wage worker and an avid sports enthusiast himself, Murugesan ensured that Thulasimathi had the opportunity to explore various sports. He took Thulasimathi and her sister, Kiruttigha, to a tennis court near their home, where they trained for a week. The following week, they tried basketball, and then volleyball the week after.

Although Thulasimathi and her sister adapted easily to each sport they tried, their father decided that badminton would be the sport for them. “We told our father that basketball was okay, tennis was okay and volleyball was okay. But, he told us ‘No. Badminton will be your game’,” Thulsimathi said.

“We didn’t realise this when we were six years old. When we grew up, we asked him, ‘Why did you put us in so many sports before badminton?’. He said, ‘Whatever things you get in life as like very easily it won’t last longer and you won’t respect it.’ Then he said, ‘when you struggle for something, like when you worked hard to get something in your life, even when you want to leave, you won’t leave it. Because you have worked so hard for it.’”, she said.

For Thulasimathi and her sister, the early days of their badminton career were indeed difficult. They didn’t have enough money to buy good shoes and used to play tournaments with the cheapest racquets that cost only Rs 200. Because of this, her sister and Thulasimathi were selective in choosing the tournaments. “My first racquet was a borrowed racquet. Not my own racquet,” said Thulasi. “Like someone gave me just because it got broken and we put the binding on it and we used it. So that was my first costly racquet,” she added.

Thulasimathi recalls being bullied

Besides financial troubles, Thulasimathi and Murugesan also encountered bullying due to her dark skin tone and disabilities. “There were so many times I was bullied and my father was bullied for taking two girls daily,” she said. “We had badminton training from 5 am to 7 am and we had school from 8.30 am. He used to take us both to the stadium after school as well, at 5 pm every evening. And whatever happened, we used to come back at 11.30 pm and slept at 12 am,” she shared.

Her father faced criticism from others who were not ready to accept that his daughters could excel in sports. “There were so many negative talks. There were people who told my father, ‘just let your daughters focus on studies and get them married’”.

However, the sisters had their mother, a housewife, supporting them, despite not coming from a sports background. “Our mother was very supportive. Like she’s not from a sports background, but she understands what is going on and what is that we aim for and all that. And she’s really supportive and she’s like a Wonder Woman, having done some hard jobs to support us.

“She wanted to make me play with able-bodied athletes. Due to my disability, I was bullied in my school and was called an ‘alien’. My left-hand looks little sometimes, which is why I was being called an ‘alien’ at school,” she recollected.

They won’t call her an alien now. Thulasimathi’s perseverance led her to win silver at the Paris Paralympics, and the 22-year-old was recently honoured with the Arjuna Award, setting an inspiring example for all.