Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

She should have been playing with dolls and leading a fun filled life at the age of five but her life came to a standstill the day her mother committed suicide by jumping in a fire. Her father and elder sister could not bear this trauma. They both became mentally unstable. This is the story of Kamini, a determined young girl, who overcame her personal trauma and resolved to turn her obstacles into opportunities.

Following the death of her mother she was sent to an orphanage, Nirmala Bhavan Prem Ashram in Noida by her grandmother, where she began to study. But she had to leave the orphanage when she turned 10 years. Staff at the orphanage sent her to Deepalaya Gram at Gusbethi and she has remained here since. Her sister, father and dadi all live in a mandir in Delhi. Sometimes she visits them. Her sister has recovered from the trauma of her mother’s suicide and is now studying in class XI. Her father has still not recovered. The meager pension that he receives from the government is barely enough to meet his own financial needs. Kamini is unable to stay with her family as she does not have a house and evidently there is no one to look after her.

Kamini lives in the girls’ hostel at Deepalaya Gram in village Gusbethi at Haryana. She is now a cheerful thirteen year old and studies in the VI standard. Her bright smile and pleasant demeanour belie the memories of a murky childhood. She feels that the education she is getting from Deepalaya is much better than what she was getting at the previous institution. Kamini is a good student. Standing second in her class she says she wants to learn everything that is taught at Deepalaya. “Whatever I learn here will all come in use at some time in the future” says this empowered young girl. Some of the lessons she has learned from her teachers at Deepalaya School include respecting others, cultivating friendships, not fighting and studying hard. Being a brilliant student she sets very high standards for herself and strives hard to achieve them. Falling short of her own expectations is something that is not acceptable to her. She enjoys her hostel life with all her friends and participates actively in all the activities organized by the hostel authorities.

When asked if she thought getting educated was important, she said that “our whole life is dependent on education” and that is the only means with which we can secure a job in the future to provide for ourselves. She works hard and says wisely, “Sometimes to gain something you have to loose something in life”. She aspires to be a famous artist. When she gets older, she plans to come back to Deepalaya and tell other students in the schools to keep studying and working hard so that adversity do not stop them from achieving their ambitions.