The Girl that Grew Wings

A Village Shadowed by Challenges

Khiala Kalan is a sleepy village in the gender-critical District of Mansa, with its own sets of challenges like patriarchal mindset, female feticide, discrimination against girls, drug abuse, and rampant alcohol abuse.’
Happy’ a.k.a Harpreet, a bubbly, effervescent young girl from Khiala Kalan, lived a childhood no different from other girls of her time. She came from a conservative lower-middle-class Hindu family, in a society typically infamous for its gender inequality.

Defying the Odds

She is one of the few rural girls who managed to get through schooling, proving her competence to her family maintaining singular focus and motivation throughout, defying all the odds and pressures that pull down most others mid-way.
She scored a decent 75% in her 12th Board examinations, which earned her respect in her village. But being a knowledge lover, Happy seemed fascinated with the goals that she silently carried in her heart.

When Destiny Connects the Dots

They say, “If you desire for something with pure and whole-hearted intent, then the entire nature conspires towards carving the path for you.”
Just as Harpreet had begun to nurture her fervent desire for learning further, destiny revealed the next piece of the puzzle. A random friend happened to tell her about the Free Teachers Training Program run by The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib.
“Though the dots seemed to be connecting, it was not at all as easy as it sounds,” tells us Harpreet breathlessly and fluently, as she confidently goes through a feedback interview with us.
We were fascinated to arrange this interview after noticing her superlative proficiency in English, which she acquired in just four months of her three-year training program despite having no significant prior knowledge of the language.

Breaking Barriers and Building Faith

Harpreet reveals that her parents were initially opposed to the idea of letting her go away from home for further education. They also had reservations about her joining Baru Sahib, being a Hindu herself.
But once they visited Baru Sahib, saw the environment with their own eyes, and understood Sikhism as an epitome of all religions, their doubts vanished. They felt comfortable, secure, and proud to see her pursue her dreams there.

Living the True Spirit of Learning

Harpreet, though not baptized into the Sikh way of life, loves and lives by the ways of a true “learner” a Sikh. She is part of reciting the five divine routine scriptures of the faith.
She voluntarily asked to be renamed Harpreet Kaur and carries herself piously in the uniform attire respected at the institute.

A Future Shaped by Purpose

Harpreet Kaur is observed to be an exceptional student at the ETS program and a prospective teacher at an Akal Academy. Her enthusiasm, capacity to learn, and absorption levels are enormous  and she is surely set to soar high with the wings she has grown.

Lighting the Path for Others

Commendable is the work of unassuming organizations like Baru Sahib, which continue to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots and the benefactors who choose to sponsor deprived girls like Harpreet.
Her journey is a living testament that with courage, faith, and opportunity, even a girl from the most humble beginnings can rise above all odds and shine like the brightest star.

Article by: Ramandeep Singh, Student, 6th Aug 2013, Rohini, New Delhi