Mohini is a promising young woman who lives her life shuffling between her job as a teacher at Sshrishti Trust’s Jai Hind Camp, teaching underprivileged migrant children, and her education as a student of Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. She has honest, insightful opinions about her experiences, and has ambitions for a constructive, fruitful life. She spends most of her days living in the squalor of the Masoodpur Basti, teaching young kids and building her dreams one brick at a time. She imagines opening her own educational centre one day, providing vital primary education for the underserved youths back in her village.
However, this arduous drive for a better life is not a new feature of Mohini’s individuality. Back when she was herself a student at one of Sshrishti’s educational centres, her potential was recognised by our Founder and CEO, Ms. Sanghamitra Bose, who nurtured her and took care of her basic learning needs. The contact card Mohini received from her as a young student, has been kept safely by her to this day. For Mohini, the card holds a special significance. Upon passing out from Sshrishti’s primary learning centre, she finished the rest of her schooling at the local government girl’s high school. Post the completion of her schooling, she decided to give back to the organisation that had given her so much, and she used the same card to contact Ms. Bose, who promptly introduced Mohini to the Sshrishti workforce as a teacher on a voluntary basis. With time, her roles and responsibilities grew, and she became a fixed member of the Sshrishti community, inalienably attached to the meshes of the organisation.
Mohini’s life comes with its fair share of struggles. Originally belonging to a poor, remote village in Uttar Pradesh, she lives here in Delhi with her parents and older siblings. All her older sisters are married, and she’s been facing the same pressure ever since graduating from school. Women in her community aren’t expected to engage in further education. They usually get married at a very early age and are required to be situated inside the familial home, perennially detached from the changes and progress going on in the world outside. Mohini, however, refuses to give up. Her value is duly recognised by her parents and her superiors at Sshrishti Trust, and she continues to endeavour towards realising the life she envisions for herself. Besides her job and studies, she is a part of the Vivekananda Leadership Training Program, which teaches young college-going students about important management and development skills. She also provides tuition free of cost for two young students of her community in Kishangarh. Visibly motivated and desirous of change, Mohini continues to strive forward to find a sense of belonging in a world that hesitates to accept her. People often refuse to take her seriously, undermining her on account of her age, young demeanour, and position in contemporary society. These things bother her, but in no way are they deterrents. On the contrary, she believes her struggles have made her stronger and better equipped to face the oddities that life has to offer.
Mohini is a shining example of how much the youth of our nation, especially women, can achieve with some basic financial and educational support. Just like Mohini, there are several young women in this country who are hopeful for some positive change, and who wish to see a future separated from the vicious entrapment cycles of poverty and primitive thinking. Sshrishti Trust, with its mission of creating an educated and empowered India, is taking slow but steady steps toward ensuring that the lives of underprivileged youth don’t go to waste. Every human should hold the right to have a productive, fruitful life, free from the pitfalls of economic, educational, and societal shortcomings. An upheaval is imminent, and we look forward to witnessing Mohini and many other young social-drivers like her be part of the change.
