In the state of Rajasthan, where traditional and religious practices often involve the forced marriages of young girls, 19-year-old Pravina valiantly fought to become the sarpanch of seven villages, thereby providing an inspiring example for countless other girls like her.
She lost her alcoholic father at a very young age, the poverty she experienced was so severe that it caused her to leave school and tend to someone else’s livestock, and the patriarchal society she lived in wanted her to be married off while she was still a minor.
At the age of 19, Pravina, a resident of Sakdara village in Pali district, fought many battles to become sarpanch of seven villages and has become an inspirational and helpful figure to many. She is determined to make sure the girls in her area do not have to go through such difficult struggles in order to receive an education.
Pravina told reporter that had she not found hope at the right time, she could have ended up as a child bride, living a life of grazing cattle and doing household chores. Recounting her life before she found the hope, Pravina described a maze of despair: acute poverty, an alcoholic father with four other kids to care for, dropping out of school after Class 3, and the constant fear of being pushed into a child marriage. Now, she makes it a point to ensure that any girl she meets who is not going to school finds the same hope as she did.
When Pravina, affectionately nicknamed “Papita” by the locals, dropped out of school to make money by tending to other people’s cattle and help with household chores, a two year period of her life passed. However, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalya (KGBV), a residential school for girls from underprivileged backgrounds located in Pali village, 40km away from her home in Sakdara village, opened up new prospects for her.
“When I was younger, a field worker from an NGO called Educate Girls convinced my family to send me to a school where I could get a free education. This experience completely changed my outlook on life and taught me the importance of education for girls. Sadly, my father passed away while I was still in the residential school,” she said.
At 18, she was married to a construction worker and was the most educated woman in her in-laws’ family. This gave her the confidence to stand for sarpanch elections. “If it wasn’t for the education I received, I would have been married as a child and lived the rest of my life tending cattle and doing household chores,” she said. “But once I became sarpanch, I made sure that the largest portion of the budget was allocated to education.”
Pravina shared with reporter that her in-laws’ family used to look at her with pride, despite the fact that they had no concept of sending girls to school. Now, whenever she finds a girl who is not going to school, she makes it a point to ensure that she finds the same hope that she did.
Despite the poor financial situation at my in-laws’, they did not hinder my journey, for which I am thankful. During this time, Pravina served as the sarpanch of seven villages in Rajasthan, namely Roopawas, Kerla, Muliyawas, Raunagar, Sevra ki dhani, Moola ji ki dhani, and Naru ji ki dhani, from 2014 to 2019.
Pravina said beaming with pride that during her term as sarpanch, she ensured that the maximum budget went to education and that she got a school constructed for girls. This caused families to become less apprehensive about sending their daughters to school. Although her tenure as sarpanch is now over, Pravina insists that her fight for the cause will continue.
She stated that she goes to different villages to investigate and discover if there are any girls who are not attending school. Additionally, she mentioned that some girls reach out to her in order to persuade their parents to not restrict their education. She visits their homes, links them with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that deal with the sector, and finds solutions for them in financial situations that are difficult.
Pravina, who is the poster woman for Educate Girls, a program which works to bring out-of-school girls back to mainstream education, shares that school teachers in the villages often invite her to speak to the girls about the importance of education. She emphasizes that even if the girls are primarily occupied with household tasks and do not pursue higher education, they must still attend school.
