Sunitha Krishnan signs copies of her autobiography ‘I Am What I Am’ at a city bookstore.
Credit: X/@bookworm_Kris
Bengaluru: Sunitha Krishnan, founder of Prajwala, a non-profit involved in rescue and rehabilitation of sex trafficking and sex crime victims, has released a memoir.
Called ‘I Am What I Am’, the autobiography is a story of hope and possibilities, says Sunitha. The 284-pager dives deep into the social activist’s life and shares the journey of Prajwala. Established in 1996, Prajwala has carried out several rescue operations across the country and also some international ones. Based in Telangana, it now boasts a team of 200.
“I’m sharing the truth of my life to the limits that I can. If people can understand how I have used my adversities as an opportunity, then maybe it would encourage more people to take up such social causes. I want people to understand that a normal person, with all the frailties and weaknesses that we possess, is capable of bringing about change,” she tells Metrolife. However, she stresses that the book does not encompass her entire life, “It’s merely 40 per cent of my life. Many things that weren’t hopeful in nature, I haven’t included. I don’t believe in naming and shaming people. The focus is on my learnings,” adds the 52-year-old.
Laid out in a chronological manner, the book also dives into Sunitha’s childhood and time spent in Bengaluru.
The book starts off with an incident that took place in Hyderabad, four years into the establishment of Prajwala. “One morning, I received a call from a police constable and I had to rush to Falaknuma railway station. When I reached, I found a young girl, maybe 6-7-years-old or even younger, who was covered in a pool of blood. It appeared that she had been gang raped. Her intestines were spilling out of her. We rushed the child to the hospital,” she recalls. Similar incidents of rescue and rehabilitation efforts are recounted throughout the book.
A sexual assault survivor herself, Sunitha urges survivors to “become their own power”. “I harnessed my adversities to bring about change in the world. Instead of seeking external gratification and support, look within. You have it well within yourself to support yourself. Far too many people get trapped by what the world is thinking of them. A whole world of sex crime gets pushed under the carpet because of this mindset. Instead, the only thing that should matter is what you think of yourself and what you have to share with the world,” she signs off.
Priced at Rs 699, ‘I Am What I Am’ is available online and at bookstores across the city.