Girl Icon Sahiba Says It, “Help Yourself First To Help Others”

Today, while framing my words, I wish I could speak out to you a story that has my throat still in shivers. This certain piece is about a teary eyed yet smiling girl icon who gave me a well defined example of ‘Hope.’  Sahiba, who managed to shake my grounds with every turn in her amazing journey, has a brilliant streak of modesty which awes me more.

Poverty has always been one of the weeds that she wanted to fling off from her life.  Seeing her abusive father struggling day in and out for financial balance, Sahiba decided to pursue education. Being the eldest in the family, Sahiba had her education plans aggressively oppressed by her father. He wanted her to work or get married so as to ease the already hovering burden. Growing up in a community plagued with illiteracy, unemployment and water shortage, Sahiba saw light in her mother.  Post every meltdown, Sahiba used to cry about all her worries to her mother and how she wants to bring a change in their demeaning lives. “My father after his usual routine would hit my mother every day. It was awful. Lack of money and dependency on an alcoholic person darkened our lives in every bit. My need to get educated was slapped off in every discussion. One day, during one such heated incident where we had our usual heated arguments, I decided to gather all the courage and fight out for the right.”

“Luckily my mother has been my brave lighthouse. If not my father’s, I knew I had the support of my mother. She started working to make sure her children are educated. I left no opportunity to outperform in my academics and slowly the view for better urged me to study further. Things were starting to fall in place, my father felt proud of the change. Then the fateful happened, our village was burnt to the ground. Poverty has always been our biggest limitation. Gareebi se chutkara pane ke liye hi toh humne padhai shuru ki thi (I started studying only to get rid of poverty)”. Our village being burnt due to an outburst was probably the worst to happen and my family had to see tougher times” said the brave while she was wiping her tears.

I was certain that there was more to the sad drift in the story to which I was blown, “I knew there were issues that would crop up to stop me but since I was leading mine as well as many lives with me, I had to move.”  

When Sahiba got to learn that the Principal of Mount Carmel convent provided education to girls from affected areas, she decided to enroll herself in the same. “To help change the environment, helping myself came first and it drove me to get successful admission through scholarship. I needed a medium to continue my education”

The life vehicle that seemed to be passing through a dark tunnel at the age of 14 finally saw the light of the day, at 16. Sahiba is currently 17 now and an inspiration to many in her locality in Lucknow. A hard working scholar with an influential voice in school, she has also worked with the YES foundation for a year. In the foundation she managed to be elected as the “Yuva Neta” that gave her the responsibility to arrange meetings among girls, women and men to discuss pertinent societal issues.

Moving ahead in the progressive part of her life, it was a delight to know that she did not stop there. She helped setting up ‘Sakhi Chaupal’ and ‘Savyam Sahayata Sangh’. Simultaneously she also had been a great assistance in establishing a tailoring school for the under privileged girls. Currently she is an anchor in the C.M.S community radio. The income earned helps her to support her education and conveyance.

The money earned by the parents is now invested sufficiently in other children. An advocate for gender discrimination, Sahiba had once participated in Amnesty Sessions of ‘My body. My rules’ but now educates and inspires many community members with the awareness attained.

A simple young girl, who managed to shake my grounds with every turn in her amazing journey, has a brilliant streak of modesty in her. At just 17, I believe she is fantastically beautiful! Isn’t she?

Turning every roadblock on her way, she dreams to become an IPS one day and we only wish to see her there soon.