"Girls should never be married early, like I was. I faced so many problems in my new home from an early age. My daughters are studying in BA, but I have no intentions of marrying them just now. I did marry my eldest daughter when she was just 15 years old. But I will not repeat the same mistake with my other daughters". "Families should be planned to be small. In a large family with limited means, children do not get enough and proper education".
Then and now
Even now Savitri survives by doing some farming and by working on other people's fields. She is however happy that there is definitely a change in her economic situation. "Earlier I would not know whether there would be anything to eat tomorrow or not. There was no one to help me. But now my children have grown up, are getting a good education and that is a reason to rejoice. They are my biggest asset. I am happy that I have fought against all odds and come out a stronger person every time. But still I wish there was some more source of income for my daughters' marriage". As long as she earns enough to keep the home hearth burning and educate her children, Savitri is happy.
Her two daughters are currently doing their graduation; one is studying for a diploma in ITI; another in Class 11 and the youngest is in Class 9. Her son is a graduate. They all studied in the village government school till class 8, after which they studied in Banda, 20 km away, commuting every day.
Message for other women
"I have faced very difficult times, yet I survived and improved my financial condition. So one should always try to better her situation and not give up easily. Getting connected with organizations like Aaroh always helps as it encourages us to fight for our rights and maximize our potential".
Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS
(This article is part of a soon-to-be-released Oxfam India publication: "The Leader Lies In You - Success stories of women farmers in UP")
- Shared under Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License
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