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“When I met Didi (SELF Academy Facilitator), she told me that I had to focus on my studies and continue going to school. But I told her that we were facing a shortage of electricity in my village, which makes it difficult to focus on studies. I also told her that we tried complaining to the Pradhan (Head of the local governance system), but he doesn’t listen to me. She suggested that all the girls should write a letter and submit it to the electricity department. I went back to my village and gathered 9 girls and shared this news with them. I also told them that if we file this letter, we will make everyone proud - it [the electricity problem] is something that even boys couldn’t do much about. I told them that the following day we will go and buy a DP/Transformer so that we can focus on our education.

After that we (9 girls) took an auto and walked 1.5 kms to the Electricity Department. Once I reached the department, they told me that the office for Shahpahadi (my village) was at a different place. We again walked for 1.5 kms and reached the electricity department (of Shahpahadi). Everyone in that office was extremely shocked to see 9 girls in their office. On being asked, we told them that we came here to collect the DP. They were really surprised. All the girls from my group spoke but I spoke the most. When they expressed their surprise I confronted them and told them that girls can also come to collect DP. Then we went to meet Mahesh-ji, who was the main person in that office and told him that there’s no transformer in my village and that we were there to collect a DP. We also told him that our exams were approaching and for the last 6 months the transformer had been missing. He assured us that we will get the DP in the next 2-3 days but we insisted and told him to provide a vehicle and a DP. He told us that no vehicle was available at the moment and that the following day, he will make sure that a DP is delivered to our village. Then I asked for his contact number but he refused. I threatened him that if he doesn’t deliver DP by the next day, then 9 girls will again come to his office and protest. In that moment another colleague of his offered to share Mahesh-ji’s number. I refused and told him that Mahesh-ji himself will have to share his number. Following this Mahesh-ji shared his number and we went back to our village. We waited for almost a day but he didn’t get the DP delivered to our village. I again called him and spoke to him. He told me that the vehicle wasn’t available. Then the day after that, the DP was delivered to our village. Everybody in the village started praising us and said that no man or boy from the village could do it and girls managed to get this work done. Then I told Pradhanji that he couldn’t get this work done but instead 9 girls from the village could do it. He praised us.

We all became really famous after this. In fact I went to the leadership camp that was organized in Banaras. I learnt how to use computers, speak English, do photography and about KhabarLahariya <https://www.facebook.com/khabarlahariya/> (women run rural news project). Through the session that focused on KhabarLahariya, I got to know that if we want to publish news then we have to collate information about incidents, witnesses and facts related to the event. You know earlier I had never gotten an opportunity to touch a computer, but at SELF I even got that opportunity to work on a computer. This has brought about a lot of change within me. Earlier I used to feel really scared and couldn’t even step out of my house. But the moment didi called me up and asked me to come to office, then I told my mother and she allowed me to come here. She has a lot of faith in me and didi”