"Ashes to
ashes, dust to dust... "
It may be an inevitable truth
that we all come from dust and return to dust. The world will keep reminding
you this fact over and over, in case you forget and, spread your wings too much
and fly too far.
But there are some girls in this
world that defied this fact and did not surrender. They went on to prove that
it is the journey between these two finite points that will still make us
immortal; an extraordinary journey towards one's dreams. An indomitable spirit
and unflagging enthusiasm decide whether we will kiss glory or taste the dust.
Nine such determined girls chose to follow their hearts' desire and to never
give up. Not even in circumstances that bereaved them of hope, momentarily. And
this is how we got a soul-stirring documentary film- Girl Rising!
Girl Rising takes us into the
lives of nine girls- Wadley, Amina, Ruksana, Yasmine and Sumi to name a few,
who live in different parts of the world. Thanks to SEWA and the American
Centre, for they gave us an experience of a lifetime by screening this film. In
these hundred minutes, fixed in our seats and totally captivated by what we
saw, we travelled with the girls across the world- to deserts, high mountains, cramped
cities and even disaster hit areas. We experienced a plethora of emotions as we
came across each girl’s story- awe, contempt, compassion, joy, sorrow, hope,
despair, pride, euphoria! From having goose bumps, to moist eyes, to a content
smile; I could feel it all. All us SEWA
girls were watching in silence, the struggle and success of the nine girls,
separated from us (just)by the screen. But the undercurrents of a newly
realised potential and a flame reignited were almost tangible. It became
evident when every girl present there, expressed with a lot of fervour, how
inspired they felt. The message through the stories of those girls had come
across well. “There’s a Hero in all of us”, they said. The girls highlighted
the pertinent issues related to women, especially education, and spoke about
other social evils solemnly. They could somehow relate to the girls in the film
and realised that the problems, unfortunately, are faced not just by women of their
own country but by women worldwide. A noteworthy fact is that ultimately they
were all convinced that hope and determination can bring a big change, a
positive one at that. No matter how unfavourable the circumstances are, one
should never give up on their efforts and hope. After all, beautiful wild
flowers grow in the most unexpected and difficult places.
It was a moment of pride for all
of us at SEWA, to see the girls stand up and speak for themselves. If this brilliant
amalgamation of Art and Reality in the form of this film could do such wonders,
more of such experiences should be brought to young girls with aspirations. The
confidence and vigour that they radiated suggested of a revolution not too far
in the future. They all had something precious to take back with them in the end.
All they now need is their families by their side and a lot of opportunities to
prove their worth...and sure then, will we RISE!
really amazingly well expressed, as always.... i understand and believe in what those nine girls believe in....''we all have a hero inside us'' ,to which i would add that,'' we all have a hero inside us, which just needs a chance to show ourselves that we are worth it and nothing but ourselves are the biggest obstacles in not trusting our instincts and not grabbing that opportunity of knowing and doing what we actually worth of!''
ReplyDeleteThank you. .I totally agree with you..
DeleteWell said Archana. The most beautiful moment of this event for me was hearing the mentees and youth club members discuss the stories and take the stage. They were so invigorated by the film, so inspired, so proud of themselves for accomplishing so much!
ReplyDelete