Helping other people, be it in a small way or big, doesn’t leave the fact that you want to be selfless in order to reach out to those in need. With this kind of action, Sahasra Deepika has
always and forever grateful. Especially when we see young people take a big step in helping out the girls in Bangalore. At a young age, they already know how responsibility works and they are
willing to walk out of their comfort zone to reach out to the students of Sahasra Deepika. Aside from that, they created a connection with the girls.
My name is Meghna Ramaiah, and I live in Nashville Tennessee. I am 15 years old, and a junior in high school. After visiting Sahasra Deepika last summer, I knew that I wanted to make a meaningful contribution to a city and a cause that was close to my heart. My family is from Bangalore, and I visit there every other summer, so it is very personal to me. Visiting India so often, I have witnessed the vast socioeconomic diversity of India. We always visit right after school gets out, which happens to coincide with when all the kids in India are going back to school. I have seen children in crisp uniforms, girls with tight braids neatly held together with ribbon, and backpacks filled to capacity—waiting for local buses or walking to schools. Some kids attend elite private schools, many attend government public schools, and some, I have no Idea. I have seen kids living on the street—in extreme poverty—and I wonder if they even have the opportunity to attend school. Something that stands out to me in India is that everyone seems to understand the value of education—and place a high emphasis and importance on it. If given the opportunity, every child has a chance to succeed. I firmly believe that educating girls, in particular, is one of the most important things one can do to better their community and society as a whole.
I have had the privilege of attending an all-girls school for the past five years. My school motto is: Think Critically, Lead Confidently, and Live Honorably. Since sixth grade, I have become a much more confident and independent thinker. I have learned so much from watching my peers and teachers, and I am so grateful for that opportunity. I love that my school focuses on educating girls to be global leaders in STEM and the humanities. The focus on enabling us to be a new generation of empowered women allows us to explore how we wish to make a difference in the world. I realize that I am privileged to have the opportunity to experience such an environment, and I hope that the ideas and traits that I cultivate from my experiences will help me better the world and make a difference in someone’s life. I have been so fortunate in the circumstances of my birth, and I hope to extend my fortune to someone else in need. I firmly believe in the importance of girl’s education and the idea that educating one girl benefits a nation as a whole. Knowledge leads to lower rates of mortality and longer lifespans, and teaching a girl leads to educating a community. I love that organizations such as Sahasra Deepika have committed themselves to this cause. The privilege of an education is something that every girl deserves access to.
To raise funds and awareness for Sahasra Deepika, I plan to open up an Etsy shop. My shop , Light Her Way, will sell artwork created primarily by girls and women in my community and the community of girls at Sahasra Deepika. When I reached out to some of my friends asking them if they wanted to contribute artwork to this cause, the response was overwhelmingly supportive. Everyone was so excited to help out, make a difference, and raise awareness. Art has the power to connect people and cultures across many vast divides. It allows people to express themselves in the most genuine way possible. Art has always been something I hold dear, and it would be a way to get my local community involved. I hope that my Etsy shop will connect people from around the world and, ultimately, help the girls at Sahasra Deepika receive a better education.
