If we look around us, in the communities closest to us, we may find many such women shining beneath the rubble of class, caste and poverty
It is quite customary to see the world applauding women achievers around the time of the International Women’s Day, which is today. Scores of felicitation ceremonies where women trailblazers are recognised for their contribution are organised across the length and breadth of the country and around the world. It is encouraging to see the accolades and to learn about the women who are finally being given their space under the Sun.
But this article is a story about a young woman whom few know and as of now, her public face is limited, to say the least. She is not part of a large organisation. She is the daughter of the woman who helps to keep the wheels of my domestic set-up move smoothly. Her name is Shilpa and she is all of 23.
I first heard about Shilpa when her mother started helping me out at home around six-and-a-half-years ago. She is the eldest of four siblings, all girls. Her mother would often tell me sorrowfully about how she would be taunted by others for not having borne a son and I would pacify her and tell her that I, too, was one of four daughters. It was always wonderful to hear about her daughters and slowly as the anecdotes were narrated, I learnt about Shilpa.
I learnt that she could sing Hindi, English and even Punjabi songs. Soon I was delighted to actually hear her sing and she sang with her father, a man who makes his living by setting up a food stall where he sells the most delicious biryani among other delicacies. The father sang melodiously but Shilpa’s voice simply held me spellbound. It was powerful, it was musical and it was like liquid gold. Not a note out of place. And the felicity with which she sang English songs quite took my breath away.
Shilpa was never interested in studies but completed her school education till the 12th standard. Hearing her talk in English and listening to her sing, in three different languages with equal fluency, I understood as never before that the university of life is as educative as actual institutions of repute and concrete.
Shilpa tells me, and I quote her own words, in English, “I did not learn to sing. I used to sing on my own and listen to the songs on radio and TV. I heard a brother (boy) singing, his name is Vijay. He took me to his NGO named Ideal Youth Health and Welfare Society and when we went there, he told me that we could sing there. That platform became my identity for me.”
As time went by, Shilpa met like-minded people at the NGO, people who nurtured a passion for singing like herself. And with them, she formed a band, the Savitribai Phule Band. I marveled at the appropriateness of the name: Who better than the great Indian social reformer and educationist, Savitribai Phule often credited as being the mother of Indian feminism, to name one’s band after. The band members are Shivraj, Raja, Aman, Varsha, Neha, Sunil, Rohit and Shilpa herself. Shivaraj is the Coordinator. Sunil plays the cohone, Aman and Varsha, the guitar and Neha and Raja form the chorus. Shilpa is the lead singer of the band and is accompanied by Rohit. They have performed professionally at various places in Delhi including the Viswa Yuva Kendra where their performance was hugely appreciated and also at Lucknow and Chandigarh.
Shilpa is a representative of women who dare to dream, who are powerhouses of talent and creativity, who do not allow their social standing to come between them and the world. If we look around us, in the communities closest to us, we may find many such women, who are precious gemstones, shining beneath the rubble of class, caste and poverty.
The college which I have been a part of for close to three decades has many such students. Students who come from the most underprivileged situations but that did not prevent Aisha from becoming a writer, Smridhi from becoming a police officer and Shweta from becoming a professional photographer (names have been changed). One may have been a Delhi Road Transport bus driver’s daughter, another may have had a sex worker as her mother and yet another may have a parent who sweeps the road. But they became who they are today, after beating all odds. On the sheer dint of their talent and hard work.
When I asked Shilpa what her dreams and plans for the future are, she answered fearlessly and confidently, “I want to be a very big singer in the future. I want to take my band forward and perform abroad.”
She trains daily. Sings wherever called. Her passion burns bright. She is undaunted by circumstances. Failures never dim her ebullient spirit. So she may have no definitive plan of action but somehow, I know she’s going to make it big, as big as the dreams she has. If she is only allowed to sing, the way she wants.
The writer is Principal, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. The views expressed are personal.