New beginning for girls from north-east

A new life awaits 12 girls who have been brought to Gujarat by the Shree Shakti Pratishthan Trust. The girls hail from the tribal areas of Tripura, Mizoram and Assam and will be given basic education till class 12. Once they are through with their studies, they will decide whether they want to go back to their homes or get married or get a job.

Such an initiative has been taken in Gujarat for the first time. All the girls who arrived in the city few days ago are in the age group of 10-14 years. When quizzed about their performance at Jayshankar Sundari Hall, on Sunday, where for the first time they gave a dance performance to a shloka which imbibes the message, 'We are all the Earth's children,' the girls sheepishly smile and say that they were very nervous, "Bahut darr lag raha tha."

They belong to economically underprivileged families who earn an average of Rs 2,000 per month. For girls like Sitar Devi Chakma, originally from Mizoram who has four brothers and three sisters, though this place is alien to them, it offers them unlimited opportunities. Sandhya Tipre, head, Shree Shakti Pratishthan Trust, adds, "Sehemi hui si hai. They don't mix easily. The social and development issues in the north- eastern states are poor. There are seperatist issues to contend with. There have been cases of forced conversion in villages around their homes." But Tipre adds that these kids are still too young to realise what is
happening around them.

Rajeeta, who brings in two glasses of water, is full of excitement. Though her Hindi vocabulary is poor, she is still smiling. Her mother studied till class 10, but by sending Rajeeta to Amdavad, she ensures that her daughter's education remains uninterrupted till class 12.