Shilpa is a composed and eloquent 12th grader. Her experiences, combined with personal resolve, have given her maturity and confidence that make her a leader among peers. I met her early during my time here at Shanti Bhavan when she asked me to help organize the autobiography she is writing. I sat with her for three hours while she told me the story of her life so far. The words were on the computer screen in front of us, yet she knew each one of them by heart. I listened to this seventeen year old recount stories amazing for me to hear from a girl her age. Shilpa's story is unique, even amazing, but her feelings and choices mirror the feelings and choices of young adults everywhere.
She spoke of bride burning*; of suicide and shame; of orphaned infant girls found in garbage heaps; of the difference between wanted and unwanted touches; of alcoholism, of difficult choices, of longing for home, anxiety and uncertainty, excitement and love, of exposure to new cultures and languages, and of other students, friends, no longer at Shanti Bhavan for various reasons.
I watched Shilpa as she thoughtfully kneaded out the twists of chance that led her on a very different path than one of her former classmates. Shilpa's age, this former female student is no longer at Shanti Bhavan and now has two children, who work with her harvesting vegetables field to field in southern India. Shilpa spoke fluidly, like she had debated and finally decided on the words in her head or even out-loud that would perfectly fit this part of the story.
Her voice clear and strong, Shilpa drew the image for me of when she first came to realize her father was illiterate. I watched her hands trace the room's air as she described teaching her father, when she was in elementary school, to sign his name in the Shanti Bhavan visitor book.
There I sat mesmorized by Shilpa and the journey her voice has taken. Her identity, formed by the choices she made, makes, and will make, straddles both the world of her family at home and her family here at Shanti Bhavan. I am dumbfounded by Shilpa. I'm also incredibly lucky to have been her listener. She is a resonating voice of Shanti Bhavan and a prime example of the loving warmth this school radiates.
"Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.'
And he answered: 'Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be?'"
--- Kahil Gibran
*According to statistics 250 cases of "bride burning" in India go unreported and less than 10% of the cases see legal action. Bride burning happens as punishment for crimes such as failing to produce a son or grandson, infidelity, or generally shaming the family. In October 2006 the Domestic Violence Law of India was passed to protect the women of India. Yet in 2007, every six hours a married woman in India was beaten, burnt to death or harassed to the point of suicide.
She spoke of bride burning*; of suicide and shame; of orphaned infant girls found in garbage heaps; of the difference between wanted and unwanted touches; of alcoholism, of difficult choices, of longing for home, anxiety and uncertainty, excitement and love, of exposure to new cultures and languages, and of other students, friends, no longer at Shanti Bhavan for various reasons.
I watched Shilpa as she thoughtfully kneaded out the twists of chance that led her on a very different path than one of her former classmates. Shilpa's age, this former female student is no longer at Shanti Bhavan and now has two children, who work with her harvesting vegetables field to field in southern India. Shilpa spoke fluidly, like she had debated and finally decided on the words in her head or even out-loud that would perfectly fit this part of the story.
Her voice clear and strong, Shilpa drew the image for me of when she first came to realize her father was illiterate. I watched her hands trace the room's air as she described teaching her father, when she was in elementary school, to sign his name in the Shanti Bhavan visitor book.
There I sat mesmorized by Shilpa and the journey her voice has taken. Her identity, formed by the choices she made, makes, and will make, straddles both the world of her family at home and her family here at Shanti Bhavan. I am dumbfounded by Shilpa. I'm also incredibly lucky to have been her listener. She is a resonating voice of Shanti Bhavan and a prime example of the loving warmth this school radiates.
"Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.'
And he answered: 'Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be?'"
--- Kahil Gibran
*According to statistics 250 cases of "bride burning" in India go unreported and less than 10% of the cases see legal action. Bride burning happens as punishment for crimes such as failing to produce a son or grandson, infidelity, or generally shaming the family. In October 2006 the Domestic Violence Law of India was passed to protect the women of India. Yet in 2007, every six hours a married woman in India was beaten, burnt to death or harassed to the point of suicide.
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