Bikaner. Actually, entire Rajasthan has its own history. But there are some rural areas too, where preparations are on to write a new history. This history is being created by the girls of the village themselves. Jakharwala of Lunkaransar block located in Bikaner district of this state is one such village. The story of the teenage girls here is not of any one girl, but is a picture of the social reality which is still alive silently in many parts of the country.

In modern times when education is considered the foundation of progress, understanding and self-reliance, in this village it is still seen as a limited facility. Here education is not just about literacy, but about the power to think and question, and this power is snatched away from girls first.

There is a common belief in this village that the right to study and move ahead mainly belongs to the boys. Girls are prepared for household responsibilities, as if their lives are already decided. Since childhood, they are taught that it is not right to speak too much, going out is full of danger and it is not possible to fulfill their dreams. Both family and society together create an invisible wall around girls in the name of customs and traditions, within which it is considered safe for them to live.

There is only one small school in the village, where education is given up to class five. After this one has to go to another village for further studies. Boys get this opportunity very easily, whether they are fond of reading or not. But despite hobbies and abilities, this path is almost closed for girls. In some families, even if a girl is sent to study in another village for 2 or 3 years, then she is not sent alone but with her father or brother. Even after this, suspicion, fear and restrictions remain on his every step.

Here the difference between the lives of boys and girls is very clearly visible. Boys have the freedom to go out, wear whatever clothes they like, meet friends and eat food of their choice. Even if they leave studies, no big question arises. Some start working in the fields, some work as laborers, some remain unemployed, but the society accepts them. At the same time, girls are expected to silently follow every rule and carry the burden of the respect of the house on their shoulders.

Girls’ education is often considered to end with age. As soon as they grow up, they are taken out of school. The narrow mentality behind this is that girls will become spoiled by studying too much, will start asking questions or will want to choose their own life. That is why everything from clothes to hair is controlled. Wearing clothes other than salwar-suit is considered wrong, if hair is open, it is labeled as fashionable and if you talk to anyone, you are shown fear of marriage.

The most painful situation occurs when even small girls are brought up in an environment of fear. While going to school, they are not told to be careful and face any situation bravely, rather they are warned that if anything happens, they will be stopped from going to school. No effort is made to find out whose fault it is. Due to this fear, girls not only stop speaking but also start blaming themselves.

I myself am an example of this. I am the first girl in my village who tried to come out of these walls. It was not easy to dream of continuing studies and moving forward. Taunts, restrictions and social pressure were present at every step. Many times I felt that perhaps this was my limit. There came a time when I was forced to leave my studies due to social pressure. Due to which I was completely broken. For months, sitting at home and crying, questioning myself and fearing about the future, all this had become a part of my life. But still I did not lose courage.

A madam associated with Urmul Center in Lunkaransar listened to me and made me realize that every incident is not the end of life, but can also be a lesson. Gradually, I started controlling myself and again raised the issue of studies with my family. There was a lot of opposition and refusal, but my mind refused to accept defeat. Amidst this opposition, I got support from my father who became a support for me. It was not easy to get admission in class 11th, there was always a fear that if any complaint was made, I would be expelled from school. Still, I kept moving forward every day thinking that if I stopped, the path would become more difficult for the girls coming after me.

Today my dream is to stand on my feet and touch the pinnacle of success. This dream is not just my personal ambition, but a desire to understand and change the system that does not consider girls as equal human beings. I want every girl in my village to study, ask questions and take her own decisions. His dreams should not die behind closed doors but should get a chance to be fulfilled.

As long as education is divided between boys and girls and opportunities are taken away from girls merely on the basis of being a girl, the development of the society will remain incomplete. There is a need for the society to change its thinking towards girls and make the village environment safe for them. This is an insistence on opening the dreams that were being closed. If I can move forward even in difficult circumstances, then every girl in the village can move forward. In fact, dreams should be given the right to breathe in the open sky, not in captivity.

(Ground report by Baby Rathod from Jakharwala in Bikaner district of Rajasthan)