I hate asking money for bangles: Shakera

This week I covered Borabanda slum. I met a few students whose lives changed after joining the school started by the NGOs. They don’t charge a penny. Shakera is one such girl who has finished tenth and is waiting for her results. 

Shakera Jahan comes from a huge family.Her sister is studying in a nursing college and the family savings are enough to fund her studies. But when Shakera and her younger sisters wanted to study her parents said a firm No. Father has no job and the two brothers are painters. Shakera narrates how she convinced her parents that she would do well in her studies and begged them to send her to school.

She speaks fluent english, no more shy and is computer savvy. Says she, “Earlier my parents wanted me to join the stitching centre and they would pay only 20 rs per day. My family lives on loans. I want to get a job and take care of my parents. I hate asking them money even for bangles or a new pair of clothes. I feel guilty. In our family girls get married fast, but somehow I begged my parents to postpone my wedding. I want to be an independent person, that’s my aim in life. I wish I get good marks in tenth so that I can convince my parents about my further studies.”