The girl who dreamed big

Shankhini Saha a class XI student from Singapore International School, Mumbai, who is doing her Gold Award stayed at Navjyoti India Foundation to complete her Residential Project, that is where she met the ever smiling bold Bharti and here is Bharti’s story as told by Shankhini Saha:   

In the interiors of a resettlement colony of Bawana in North West Delhi, a young spark was born. Bharti was the first of her three sisters and like many girls in India faced the plight of gender discrimination. Her grandparents immediately dismissed her capabilities and awaited the birth of a boy child. Her parents on the other hand were ever supportive of her endeavors and urged her that her gender was no barrier to facilitate her path towards success. Her mother would proudly declare, “I want all three of my girls to see the stars and to bask in their shimmering light.” With a fighting spirit and desire to work hard, Bharti was presented with an opportunity to join the remedial education program of Navjyoti India Foundation.

Dr. Kiran Bedi founded Navjyoti India Foundation in 1988 with an ambition to make the thought of preventative and welfare policing, a reality.  Hence, working towards restoring congenial ambience for shaping a new tomorrow and a fresh start. In pursuit of this reality, the foundation has been catalyzing women empowerment programs for women across Delhi with an ambition of having meaningful and comprehensive projects.

With great courage and determination, Bharti joined the Navjyoti remedial classes in the Class VI and instantly began to display glimpse of her desired success as she topped her class in Mental Math. At the foundation, she had the chance to fight her fears and explore new personal dimensions, if not for the Foundation would have remained hidden within her for rest of her life. At the Foundation she also decided to give her passion of running a try when she participated in a marathon of 20,000 people and was able to finish 10th overall. That was the day she felt true pride when she held on to her first certificate with the medal weighing down from her neck.

After realizing her potential she decided to take on the post of “Head of the Skills Department” as part of the Bal Gurukul initiative. She now runs a teaching force of 20 teachers who reach out to 200 students. Now in the 8th standard, when she looks back at the past two years, she says, “I now know for a fact that with self-confidence, not even the stars are out of reach.” Bharti continues to make her parents proud and works with all her grit and guts to embody her vision of being a distinguished IPS Officer and that girls deserve no less when it comes to opportunities and the right to dream.