Homeless Hepsiba of Chennai sprints to world glory

A homeless child of Chennai, 14-year-old B. Hepsiba, has won three medals, including a gold in sprint, relay and hurdles at the World Street Child Ganmes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The homeless child said on winning that she had realised `I am somebody'. The medal she has received on the reverse said as much. She raises the hope of another PT Usha in the making. Given proper training, there is nothing to stop the sprinter from making it big as sports star. With Hepsiba's tremendous succees at Rio, the media focus has fallen on slum children in Chennai doing good. The homeless children, sponsored by an NGO, Karunalay, sport sports suits. But they are bitter about their situation. They say they are sometimes taken by the police to the police station when they go out in the streets. They need to go out as they live in slums and one-room dwellings. They say `We too can achieve.' But they need good education as well as security. The slums do not have toilets and their bathrooms are make shift. Hepsiba has made it to glory from such a poor backgound. She needs all the help of the government and other agencies.