India’s fastest woman Dutee Chand has shared a photograph with her partner wishing her on the occasion of Savitri brat. As per Hindu traditions, Savitri brat is an auspicious occasion on which married women pray for long lives of their husbands. "Whether you are near or far, but I keep alive only your "power" in my heart," tweeted Dutee, who is the first Indian athlete to acknowledge being in a same-sex relationship. Incidentally, Dutee had come out three years ago on this date, in an interview with The Indian Express. “I have found someone who is my soulmate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with. I have always supported the rights of those who want to be in a same-sex relationship. It is an individual person’s choice. Currently, my focus is on the World Championships and the Olympic Games but in the future I would like to settle down with her,” Dutee had told The Indian Express in May 2019. In September 2018, the Supreme Court had read down the 158-year-old British-era law that criminalised same-sex relations between consenting adults in private. The previous law had provisions to punish same-sex partners with jail terms. Dutee is currently serving a doping ban. According to the National Anti-Doping Agency, Dutee’s sample returned positive for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS), a prohibited substance. “I haven’t run my last race yet… I’m up for another fight. I had to fight to save my career. Now I am ready to do that again to revive it,” she told The Indian Express earlier this year.
