Deepak tale Andhera hota hai

Pushpa was barely thirteen when she did something no one in her village had dared. One afternoon, while crossing a road with her friends, a boy followed her. He began misbehaving - fearlessly.

Furious, she slapped him across the face - a shock he never expected. 

On her way home, her mind raced. How would my family react? What would the villagers say? What would my father think? That evening, he listened quietly and then told her: “It is right to raise your voice when you are wronged.” Those words stayed with her, giving her courage to speak out in a place where girls were expected to remain silent. 

But this was only the beginning. Pushpa also became the first woman in her village to graduate.

The first to ride a scooty.

The first to travel outside for work. 

The first to run an organisation - Jan Shikshan Kendra. Now, she was determined to carry that legacy forward, empowering the other women in her village to follow the footsteps of independence.

Pushpa has been deeply inspired by her father’s belief that progress comes from asking where we are and how far we must go. Following this principle, she constantly sought ways to move forward - using her college vacations to teach women of her village, learning to operate a computer, during her first community health project and now, as the secretary of the organization. She looked for ways to strengthen its mission: building people’s capacity to claim their rights, access government schemes, and take ownership of holding panchayats accountable. But at the same time, she also noticed how women were sidelined, mocked, and silenced, just as she herself had been. Alongside education, she wanted women to stand up for themselves, drawing the courage her father had instilled in her.

Her vision found new direction through a training with We, The People Abhiyan. After attending a citizen adda, she was deeply inspired and went on to organize two training sessions, engaging both her team and the women and youth of the village. The preamble of the Constitution struck her profoundly. From that moment, she began every program with it, or ended with it, reading and repeating it line by line, while supporting people to define and defend their rights whenever necessary. It also became her companion in meetings or events she goes to. 

Today, Pushpa dreams of studying law. She believes legal knowledge will sharpen her work. “If we know our rights, officials have to listen,” she says. She had grown up watching her father struggle with a question once posed to him - is your wife and sister educated? He dedicated his life to making the answer yes, not just for his family but for every girl in the village. In 1988, he turned that resolve into reality by registering Jan Shikshan Kendra. After his death, pushpa saw how deeply it affected not only her but also her home, her village, and the organisation. People came to her family, offering support and mourning him as if he were their own. In that moment, she realised her father’s true legacy was his people, and she resolved to keep it alive. Now, as she runs the organisation, she often imagines her father smiling at her with pride. 

This thought keeps her going, even when many challenges come her way. At times, her role reminds her that leading the organisation as a woman is still not accepted by some. She faces comments about her independence, her status as an earning member of the family, and her traveling late for work. Yet she keeps going, driven by her belief in herself and her determination to ensure that her father’s dream remains progressive and that his people continue to have hope.

The above story has been written and published with the explicit consent of the individual involved. All facts presented are based on WTPA's direct interaction with the individual, ensuring accuracy and integrity in our reporting.