The article was originally featured at Women’s Feature Service. Mehru Jaffer is a journalist and a well known author. Mehru Jaffer on the launch of the book Poetry of Purpose in Lucknow .Her words and her experience with the Prerna Girls.

Laxmi, Khushboo, Sunita, Kunti, Rama and Aarti confidently walked up on stage, picked up the microphone and spoke about their lives, experiences, struggles and aspirations in front a packed audience. One after another, each young woman animatedly talked about her family, how she had learnt to deal with crushing poverty and gender bias and strike out against illiteracy and violence to create a secure space for her. Above all, they loudly declared how they felt they were equal to the men in their families and in society; that nothing could stop them from fulfilling their dreams. Amidst an inspired, encouraging crowd a woman looked on proudly; she knew her work with them was now complete. It’s been nearly two decades since Dr Urvashi Sahni started a school for girls from impoverished families in Lucknow to “enable them to take a feminist stance in their lives from an early age in order to discover who they are and understand the oppression they face in their daily lives”. Today, through drama, digital stories and music, in addition to regular lessons, 700 youngsters, who usually go back home to an exploited mother, an alcoholic father and vagabond siblings, are learning to “to resist discrimination and rise above it”.“I realized I had been given skills but was not taught how to use the skills for myself. I was not taught that I have the right to my own life. Over time, I concluded that education should really be about this, about discovering one’s self.