‘Every setback became a foundation’: Sunitha Krishnan after receiving Best International Book (Non-Fiction) award for `I Am What I Am‘

Hyderabad: When Sunitha Krishnan received the Best International Book (Non-Fiction) award at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 for her memoir `I Am What I Am‘, it was more than just a literary honour. For the Padma Shri awardee and founder of Prajwala, India’s largest anti-trafficking organisation, it was a moment of deep personal resonance.

“I felt surreal,” she told NewsMeter. “As an activist, I’ve received hundreds of awards, including the Padma Shri. But this was the first time I was being recognised as an author. It felt like being awarded for my life. Especially because it came from the Middle East, a region where there are censors on words and stories, and yet, despite all that, they chose to honour my memoir. That means a lot. I hope it leads to more conversation.”

For over three decades, Krishnan has been one of India’s most relentless voices against sex trafficking. Through Prajwala, she has rescued over 28,900 survivors, rehabilitated 26,900, and prevented more than 18,000 children from entering the sex trade. Her memoir captures that life in full, the fight, the fatigue, the faith, and the fierce hope that continues to drive her. In an interview with NewsMeter, she poured her heart out about her struggles, achievements, and the future endeavours: Excerpts:

“I Am What I Am”: Why This Book, Why Now

NM: Your memoir covers decades of intense work, from your personal story to building Prajwala. Why write the book now, and why this title?

Sunitha: Two things triggered it. The first was my father’s death. Two months before he passed away, we published his autobiography. At his memorial, I gave the book to everyone who attended, and they were shocked by the life he had led. That’s when I realised I wanted the world to know me, good, bad, ugly, now, not after I’m gone.

The second reason was a call I got from a Bollywood producer who said he was making a biopic on me, based entirely on Google and YouTube. My husband and I searched ourselves online and saw that every narrative revolved only around my trauma. Everyone had cooked up stories about my life. I wanted to tell my truth, in my own words, in the way I’m comfortable with.

Initially, I had another title in mind. Friends kept suggesting new names, each projecting their own perception of me: survivor, fighter, warrior. But I realised something: people who love me and people who hate me will both see their version of me. I am what I am. My prejudices, my strengths, my flaws, all of it. That’s where the title came from.

Writing Through Memory and Healing

NM: The process of writing must have been intense. How did revisiting your life affect you emotionally?

Sunitha: I finished the book in 13 days, start to end. Those 13 days were among the most momentous in my life. I had to process everything: what to include, what to leave out. I didn’t plan the structure. My first question was: What do I want to tell the world? Not what the world wants to know of me.

There were days I broke down. One day, my body just gave up I kept vomiting for four hours, as if the toxicity of the past was leaving me. But after that, I went back to writing. Each night, I would lie down, close my eyes, and forgotten names, faces, and moments would come back in flashes. The next morning, that became the chapter.

It was a divine experience. Writing gave my life perspective. I’ve forgiven many people in these pages; I haven’t named those who hurt me because this isn’t about shaming anyone. It’s a story of hope, not bitterness. After those 13 days, I felt lighter. Whatever I was chosen for in this life, I’ve documented it. The generations after me will know how this was done.

The Turning Point and the Mission

NM: Your story begins with a personal assault in your teens. How did that shape your resolve to start Prajwala in 1996?

Sunitha: I don’t think any single incident formed my resolve. What happened to me helped refine my strategy. Every setback became a foundation. I didn’t know all the answers, but I knew I was going to do it. Every failure became a master class in how to fight trafficking. Even now, I consider myself a work in progress.

The Five Pillars of Change

NM: Prajwala’s model is built on five pillars: prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration, and advocacy. Could you share examples of what transformed your approach in each?

Sunitha: There are thousands of moments, but a few stand out.

• Prevention: We began by using education as a tool for vulnerable children. Later, visits to the US and Sweden changed my approach. In Sweden, buying sex is criminalised. That’s when I realised we had to engage men and boys in India too, and tackle demand, not just supply.

• Rescue: My colleague was murdered in front of me. Until then, I carried out rescues individually. That tragedy made me see how unsustainable that was. I began collaborating with the police, and suddenly we were rescuing 50 people at once instead of one.

• Rehabilitation: Every time a girl was re-trafficked, it signalled our failure. That forced us to change our model, to focus on counselling, life skills, civic benefits, and access to justice. Today, over 9,000 women have been married and reintegrated into communities.

• Advocacy: Every failure birthed a new policy. Manuals, judicial training, and guidelines all came from lived experience.

Writing About Truth and Mortality

NM: One line in your memoir stands out: “There is one absolute truth in the world, and that is death. I do not fear it, but I definitely want to make sure that I do all that is possible to the best of my ability before my end.” What did that mean to you as you wrote it?

Sunitha: Fear has never consumed me. I knew I was fighting organised crime; I knew they could try to kill me, physically or emotionally. But everyone dies. I’ve survived cancer, a relapse. I don’t know how many years I have, and I don’t care. I just want to use whatever time I have for my mission.

On Visibility and Policy Change

NM: This award brings new visibility to your work. How do you plan to leverage it for Prajwala’s next phase?

Sunitha: Visibility equals leverage. The award gives us a bigger platform to push for stronger victim-centric laws, better implementation, and focus on the demand side. We’ve built frameworks, but urgency in execution is still missing.

The Human Side of Resilience

NM: Activism often burns people out. How do you sustain yourself?

Sunitha: Three things. My deep spiritual grounding, my strong communion with myself, and my ordinariness. I don’t carry lofty ideas of being a saviour, I do this for myself too. The work nourishes me, it doesn’t drain me.

I’m a very mundane person. I love Mills & Boon romances and rom-coms. I love cooking, making pickles, and enjoying small pleasures. I’m grounded in taste and routine. That’s what keeps me human.

Looking Ahead

NM: Your book ends with many truths: survivor, entrepreneur, producer, speaker. What’s next for you and for Prajwala?

Sunitha: I live for the moment. My ambition is my life. I want to fight certain systems, and I hope I leave the earth a little better than I joined it.

NM: How do you see the fight against trafficking evolving in the next decade?

Sunitha: Trafficking is shifting; technology, migration, and forced labour are all merging. India will play a central role in global anti-trafficking efforts. We need to build coalitions that connect grassroots activism to international policy.

NM: What would you say to young people, especially women, who read your memoir and feel inspired?

Sunitha: Every adversity provides an opportunity. Don’t let it consume you. Look ahead. Find the reason. That’s the game-changing point.

“My Life Is My Ambition”

Sunitha Krishnan’s story is not one of endurance alone, but of design, of turning personal pain into public change. Her words, both on paper and in person, hold a clear, unwavering conviction: that one life, lived wholly and truthfully, can move systems, rewrite narratives, and give others the courage to begin again.

“I don’t chase ambition outside myself,” she says. “My life itself is my ambition.”