Today, I wish to share with you a tale of merit and single-minded determination, of hope and positivity.
This is the story of Sudeeksha Bhati.
A tea-seller’s daughter from a small town of Uttar Pradesh.
Expelled from a private school due to inability to pay fees.
Don’t be mistaken. This isn’t the end of our story. It is just the beginning.
She returned to the village school, only to be identified and inducted by the VidyaGyan Leadership Academy.
With support and encouragement, she grew as one of the brightest students at the academy, and topped her district in the class 12 exams with 98% marks.
Under the mentorship of the team at the academy, she even initiated a campaign called the Voice of Women in her village - to get girls to attend the village school and to fight against sexual harassment.
Her dreams got a fresh set of wings when, under our guidance, her application got a full-time scholarship at the prestigious Babson College in Massachusetts, United States.
After 2 years in the US, Sudeeksha returned to India in the beginning of the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
However, in August 2020, her dreams came to an abrupt end when she met with a fatal road accident. An incident which was covered by all national media, TV & print included.
While there are different versions to the facts around the accident, Sudeeksha’s life remains an inspiration to the thousands of girls in the villages.
As Kofi Annan (Nobel Peace Prize recipient & Former United Nations Secretary-General ) famously said “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope!”
For us, who knew and worked with Sudeeksha, the vaccum created will never be filled. You will be an inspiration, forever & always !!
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