TEDxHyderabad: India's only rhythmic gymnast Meghana Gundlapally on somersaulting to success

Ahead of her talk at TEDxHyderabad, rhythmic gymnast Meghana Gundlapally takes a break from her routines and looks to inspire

Meghana Gundlapally is no ordinary 15 year-old; this local girl is India’s only rhymthic gymnast.

So what does it take to get to where she is? And how does she deal with all the pressures? All questions will be answered at her TEDxHyderabad talk on September 16 at JRC Convention.

Meghana explains her career doesn’t have one particular turning point; after all, what’s the point of getting comfortable? She adds that diligent training and a few competitions got her to this point and her mission is to always up her game and keep evolving.

The flip side

Does she face criticism? In regard to the controversial topic of age, she responds, “It is actually the opposite. Since gymnastics is a sport that is started at a very young age, when I joined — at the age of 11 — I was told that I am too old to pursue gymnastics professionally.” But when it comes to body negativity, yes, there’s a lot Meghana has faced but she admits there are two sides to consider, “One of the biggest issues faced by many of the young girls is that they need to look skinny at all times. Almost like the fashion industry I’d say but since rhythmic gymnastics is a very glamorous sport I guess it is natural.”

With the competitive industry in which Meghana thrives, come the perks of travel from a very young age. “I got the chance to experience so many different cultures and traditions,” she comments, “All of this has taught me to be independent, to be able to live anywhere in the world and to enjoy myself while doing so.”

Her career has taken her to Australia, the United Kingdom and other such sporting epicentres.

There’s plenty to expect from the young gymnast at TEDxHyderabad. Meghana wants to engage more than just attention, she wants to perpetuate a movement of proactivity too, explaining, “I want to be the kind of person who little kids can look up and say I want to be like her because that’s how I got to the position where I am today: by looking up to the gymnasts and wishing to be like them. I want to inspire every one to follow their dreams and do what they love, and TEDx is such a huge platform that getting the opportunity to talk here would mean that my story would reach to more and more people and maybe, just maybe, inspire some of them.”

And Meghana is no stranger to sharing her thoughts; she has an active blog at indiarhythmicgymnast.blogspot.com, showcasing her continued efforts and successes in this realm.