Women's Day Special: Breaking boundaries with Dr Rohini Rau

Dr Rohini Rau is the kind of woman who defies definition. A competitive sailor, a doctor, a theatre artist, and a TED Fellow. When asked how she managed to navigate such diverse fields, she laughed, “It’s funny that you started off with the one thing that has haunted me my entire life — being a jack of all trades.”

She grew up hearing the familiar warning — that dabbling in too many things would prevent her from excelling in any one. “But the crazy part was, I actually was quite good at all the things I was doing. So, I grew up trying to prove that you can be good at multiple things,” she says.  “People told me I needed to focus on just one thing to excel,” she recalls. “But I always believed you could be good at many things if you had the passion for it.” She also hopes women stop feeling like they must sacrifice family for a career, or vice versa. “We’re constantly told that success means focusing only on ourselves. But if a woman consciously chooses to be a present parent, why is that not seen as a success? It’s time we stop letting society dictate what achievement looks like.” 

Her journey in sailing saw her break barriers in a male-dominated sport, often being the only woman on the water. “For years, I was just one of the sailors, but once I started beating the men, the animosity crept in,” she shares. “I even had five men team up to block me from winning a race!” But instead of being deterred, she took it as a compliment. “If they were scared enough to do that, it meant I was doing something right.” 

When asked about the women who inspire her, Rohini doesn’t hesitate. “It’s my mom and my grandmother. My grandmother, who lived till 99, followed my grandfather across Africa and the West Indies. People might think she didn’t ‘do anything with her life’, but she became a matron, and worked in old age homes.”

As for her mother, Rohini holds her in the highest regard. “She gave up her advertising career to raise my brother and me — a conscious choice, not a sacrifice. And now, at 66, she’s found a whole new passion as a theatre director and actor. That’s the kind of evolving success I admire.”

Her advice to young girls is simple: “Dream big, but don’t be afraid to change that dream. You evolve, and so will your dreams — and that’s okay.”