Jo tenia vuit anys. Recordo aquell dia amb molta claredat, com si fos ahir. La meva mare cargola cigarretes bidi. Cargola cigarretes per treure la família endavant. Treballa molt dur i es passa entre 10 i 12 hores cargolant cigarretes cada dia. Aquell dia en concret va tornar a casa i em va ensenyar el llibre de salari. Em va preguntar quants diners havia guanyat aquella setmana. Vaig fullejar el llibre, i em va cridar l'atenció la seva empremta dactilar a cada pàgina.
I was eight years old. I remember that day clearly like it happened just yesterday. My mother is a bidi roller. She hand-rolls country cigarettes to sustain our family. She is a hard worker and spent 10 to 12 hours every day rolling bidis. That particular day she came home and showed me her bidi-rolling wage book. She asked me how much money she has earned that week. I went through that book, and what caught my eyes were her thumbprints on each page.
La meva mare mai no ha anat a l'escola. Fa servir l'empremta del polze en comptes de signar per portar el compte dels guanys. Aquell dia, per algun motiu, vaig voler ensenyar-la a escriure el seu nom amb un bolígraf. Al principi es va mostrar reticent. Va somriure amb innocència i em va dir que no. Però en el fons, jo estava convençuda que volia intentar-ho. Amb una miqueta de perseverança i molt d'esforç, vam aconseguir que escrivís el seu nom. Li tremolaven les mans i li brillava la cara d'orgull.
My mother has never been to school. She uses her thumbprints instead of a signature to keep a record of her earnings. On that day, for some reason, I wanted to teach her how to hold a pen and write her name. She was reluctant at first. She smiled innocently and said no. But deep down, I was sure she wanted to give it a try. With a little bit of perseverance and a lot of effort, we managed to write her name. Her hands were trembling, and her face was beaming with pride.
Mentre la veia fer-ho, per primer cop a la vida, vaig experimentar un sentiment inestimable: que podia ser útil en aquest món. Aquest sentiment va ser molt especial, perquè no se suposa que hagi de ser útil. A l'Índia rural, en general es considera que les noies no tenen cap valor. Són una responsabilitat o una càrrega. Si se les considera útils, només és per cuinar, endreçar la casa o criar la mainada. Com que era la segona filla de la meva família índia conservadora, tenia prou clar des que era petita que ningú no esperava res de mi. Estava condicionada a creure que les tres identitats que em definien, pobra, de poble i noia, significaven que viuria una vida sense veu i sense decisions pròpies. Aquestes tres identitats em van portar a pensar que mai no hauria d'haver nascut.
As I watched her do this, for the first time in my life, I had a priceless feeling: that I could be of some use to this world. That feeling was very special, because I am not meant to be useful. In rural India, girls are generally considered worthless. They're a liability or a burden. If they are considered useful, it is only to cook dishes, keep the house clean or raise children. As a second daughter of my conservative Indian family, I was fairly clear from a very early age that no one expected anything from me. I was conditioned to believe that the three identities that defined me -- poor village girl -- meant that I was to live a life of no voice and no choice. These three identities forced me to think that I should never have been born.
Però tot i això, jo existia. Al llarg de la meva infantesa, mentre cargolava cigarretes amb la mare, em preguntava: què m'oferia el futur? Li preguntava sovint a la meva mare, amb molta ansietat: "Amma, la meva vida serà diferent de la teva? Tindré la possibilitat d'escollir la meva vida? Aniré a la universitat?" I ella em contestava: "Primer prova d'acabar l'institut". Estic convençuda que la mare no pretenia desencoratjar-me. Només volia que entengués que potser els meus somnis eren massa grans per a una noia de poble.
Yet, I was. All throughout my childhood, as I rolled bidis alongside my mother, I would wonder: What did my future hold? I often asked my mother, with a lot of anxiety, "Amma, will my life be different from yours? Will I have a chance to choose my life? Will I go to college?" And she would reply back, "Try to finish high school first." I am sure my mother did not mean to discourage me. She only wanted me to understand that my dreams might be too big for a girl in my village.
Quan tenia 13 anys, em vaig topar amb l'autobiografia de la Helen Keller. Ella es va convertir en la meva inspiració. Admirava el seu esperit indomable. Volia tenir un grau universitari com ella, i em vaig barallar amb el pare i la família per anar a la universitat, i va funcionar.
When I was 13, I found the autobiography of Helen Keller. Helen became my inspiration. I admired her indomitable spirit. I wanted to have a college degree like her, so I fought with my father and my relatives to be sent to college, and it worked.
Durant el meu darrer curs a la universitat desitjava desesperadament escapar-me d'un matrimoni forçós i vaig sol·licitar una beca d'investigació a Delhi, que està a uns 2500 km del meu poble.
During my final year of my undergraduate degree, I desperately wanted to escape from being forced into marriage, so I applied to a fellowship program in Delhi, which is about 1,600 miles away from my village.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
De fet, recordo que l'única forma que tenia per emplenar la sol·licitud era en el trajecte a la universitat. No tenia accés a ordinadors i havia de demanar el mòbil a un estudiant de tercer. Com a dona, no se'm podia veure en públic amb un mòbil, de manera que l'amagava sota el xal i teclejava tan a poc a poc com podia per assegurar-me que ningú no m'escoltava. Després de moltes rondes d'entrevistes vaig entrar en un programa d'investigació amb una beca completa. El meu pare estava confús, la meva mare amoïnada...
In fact, I recall that the only way I could fill out the application was during my commute to college. I did not have access to computers, so I had to borrow a college junior's cell phone. As a woman, I could not be seen with a cell phone, so I used to huddle his phone under my shawl and type as slowly as possible to ensure that I would not be heard. After many rounds of interviews, I got into the fellowship program with a full scholarship. My father was confused, my mother was worried --
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
El meu pare estava confús, la meva mare amoïnada, però jo sentia papallones a l'estómac perquè sortiria del meu poble per primer cop per estudiar a la capital del país.
My father was confused, my mother was worried, but I felt butterflies in my stomach because I was going to step out of my village for the first time to study in the national capital.
Dels 97 estudiants que van seleccionar aquell any, jo era l'única que s'havia graduat a la ruralia. Allà no hi havia ningú que se m'assemblés o parlés com jo. Em sentia aïllada, intimidada i jutjada per molta gent. Un company es referia a mi com: "noia del coco". Poden endevinar per què? Ningú? Era perquè em posava molt oli de coco als cabells.
Of the 97 fellows selected that year, I was the only rural college graduate. There was no one there who looked like me or spoke like me. I felt alienated, intimidated and judged by many. One fellow called me "Coconut Girl." Can you guess why? Anyone? That's because I applied a lot of coconut oil to my hair.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
Un altre em va preguntar on havia après a parlar anglès, i alguns dels meus companys no em volien als seus grups de treball perquè creien que no seria capaç d'aportar res. Sentia que molts companys creien que algú de l'Índia rural no podia aportar res de valor, tot i que la majoria de la població actual de l'Índia és rural. Em vaig adonar que històries com la meva es consideraven una excepció i mai no era el que s'esperava.
Another asked me where I had learned to speak English, and some of my peers did not prefer to have me on their assignment teams because they thought I would not be able to contribute to their discussion. I felt that many of my peers believed that a person from rural India could not supply anything of value, yet the majority of Indian population today is rural. I realized that stories like mine were considered to be an exception and never the expectation.
Jo crec que tots naixem en una realitat que acceptem a cegues fins que algú ens fa despertar a un nou món. Quan vaig veure la primera signatura de la mare al llibre de salari, quan vaig sentir l'aire calent de Delhi a la cara, després d'un viatge en tren de 50 hores, quan finalment em vaig sentir lliure i vaig ser jo mateixa, vaig veure un bocí del nou món que desitjava. Un món on una noia com jo ja no és una responsabilitat o una càrrega sinó algú útil, una persona que val la pena i una persona que té mèrit.
I believe that all of us are born into a reality that we blindly accept until something awakens us and a new world opens up. When I saw my mother's first signature on her bidi-rolling wage book, when I felt the hot Delhi air against my face after a 50-hour train journey, when I finally felt free and let myself be, I saw a glimpse of that new world I longed for, a world where a girl like me is no longer a liability or a burden but a person of use, a person of value and a person of worthiness.
Quan la beca es va acabar, la meva vida ja havia canviat. No només havia trobat la meva veu perduda, també tenia l'oportunitat de ser útil. Tenia 22 anys. Vaig tornar al meu poble i vaig fundar Bodhi Tree Foundation, una institució que dona suport a la joventut rural proporcionant-los una educació, habilitats i oportunitats. Treballem molt en contacte amb els joves per canviar-los la vida i beneficiar la nostra comunitat.
By the time my fellowship ended, my life had changed. Not only had I traced my lost voice, but also had a choice to make myself useful. I was 22. I came back to my village to set up the Bodhi Tree Foundation, an institution that supports rural youth by providing them with education, life skills and opportunities. We work closely with our rural youth to change their life and to benefit our communities.
Com sé que la meva institució funciona? Doncs bé, fa sis mesos vam tenir una nova incorporació. Es diu Kaviarasi. La vaig veure per primer cop a la universitat local de Tirunelveli durant una de les meves pràctiques. Com poden veure, té un somriure que no es pot oblidar mai. La vam guiar perquè estudiés a la universitat Ashoka, a Delhi. El millor d'aquesta història és que ha tornat a Bodhi Tree com a consellera i treballa amb dedicació per canviar la vida dels altres. La Kaviarasi no vol sentir-se una excepció. Vol ser útil per a la resta de gent del món.
How do I know my institution is working? Well, six months ago, we had a new joinee. Her name is Kaviarasi. I first spotted her in a local college in Tirunelveli during one of my training sessions. As you can see, she has a smile which you can never forget. We guided her to get an opportunity to study at Ashoka University, Delhi. The best part of her story is that she is now back at Bodhi Tree as a trainer working with dedication to make a change in the lives of others like her. Kaviarasi doesn't want to feel like an exception. She wants to be of use to others in this world.
Fa poc va ser la mentora de l'Anitha, que també prové d'un poble rural i remot, i viu en una casa de 9 m². Els seus pares treballen en una granja. La Kaviarasi va ajudar l'Anitha a entrar en un prestigiós programa universitari a una de les millors universitats i amb una beca completa. Davant la reticència dels seus pares a enviar-la tan lluny, vam demanar a l'administració local que hi parlés, i va funcionar.
Recently, Kaviarasi mentored Anitha, who also comes from a remote, rural village, lives in a 10-foot-by-10-foot home, her parents are also farm laborers. Kaviarasi helped Anitha secure admission in a prestigious undergraduate program in a top university in India with a full scholarship. When Anitha's parents were reluctant to send her that far, we asked the district administration officials to speak to Anitha's parents, and it worked.
I després tenim la Padma. Ella i jo vam anar juntes a la universitat. És la primera a graduar-se de tot el seu poble. Va estar treballant amb mi a Bodhi Tree fins que un dia va decidir apuntar-se a un postgrau. Li vaig preguntar que per què. Em va dir que volia assegurar-se que mai no seria una càrrega o una responsabilitat per a ningú en cap moment de la seva vida.
And then there is Padma. Padma and I went to college together. She's the first in her entire village to attend graduation. She had been working with me at Bodhi Tree until one day she decides to go to graduate school. I asked her why. She told me that she wanted to make sure that she would never be a liability or a burden to anyone at any point in her life.
La Padma, l'Anitha i la Kaviarasi van créixer en les famílies i comunitats més dures que puguin imaginar-se. I tot i això, el meu viatge per trobar la meva utilitat en aquest món va ajudar-les a trobar la seva utilitat en aquest món.
Padma, Anitha and Kaviarasi grew up in the most tough families and communities one could only imagine. Yet the journey of finding my usefulness in this world served them in finding their usefulness to this world.
És clar que hi ha reptes. Sóc conscient que el canvi no es produeix de sobte. Part del meu treball consisteix en treballar amb famílies i comunitats i ajudar-los a entendre per què l'educació és útil per a tothom. La manera més ràpida de convèncer-los és fent coses. Quan veuen els seus fills obtenir una educació real, una feina de veritat, comencen a canviar d'opinió.
Of course there are challenges. I'm aware change does not happen overnight. A lot of my work involves working with families and communities to help them understand why getting an education is useful for everyone. The quickest way to convince them is by doing. When they see their kids getting a real education, getting a real job, they begin to change.
El millor exemple és el que va passar a casa meva. Fa poc vaig rebre un premi pel meu treball social del líder dels ministres del meu estat. Això implicava que sortiria a la televisió.
The best example is what happened at my home. I was recently given an award in recognition of my social work by the chief minister of my state. That meant I was going to be on television.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
Tothom estava enganxat a la tele aquell matí, inclosos els meus pares. M'agradaria creure que veure la seva filla a la televisió va fer que la meva mare també se sentís útil. Amb sort, deixarà de pressionar-me perquè em casi.
Everyone was hooked on to the television that morning, including my parents. I would like to believe that seeing her daughter on television made my mother feel useful too. Hopefully, she will stop pressuring me to get married now.
(Riures)
(Laughter)
Descobrir que sóc útil m'ha fet distanciar-me de les identitats que la societat m'imposava: pobra, de poble i noia. Descobrir que sóc útil ha fet que deixi de sentir-me presonera, engabiada i atrapada. Descobrir que sóc útil m'ha ajudat a trobar la meva veu, la meva autoestima i la meva llibertat.
Finding my use has helped me to break free from the identities society thrusts on me -- poor village girl. Finding my use has helped me to break free from being boxed, caged and bottled. Finding my use has helped me to find my voice, my self-worth and my freedom.
Els deixo amb aquesta reflexió: on se senten útils per a aquest món? Perquè la resposta a aquesta pregunta és on trobaran la seva veu i la seva llibertat.
I leave you with this thought: Where do you feel useful to this world? Because the answer to that question is where you will find your voice and your freedom.
Gràcies.
Thank you.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)