“ I am a Change Maker from Chaandan district of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. I teach Hindi at the Senior Secondary School.  Our district is 15 kilometres from the main city and has a population of 7,000.

Motivated by the ideals of the campaign, I proposed the idea at my school that girls take a lead in the parades held in the school to mark national occasions. As this is normally done by the boys, the idea sounded revolutionary to many at school. They were sceptical and wondered about the success of such events. But I persisted with my idea. I was convinced that girls could do everything that boys could. After a lot of debates, the decision was left to the girls.

The girls were perplexed. As they were always hemmed in by social pressures and never given the option to take the lead in any matter, they were hesitant to come forward. Their reluctance did not deter me. I encouraged discussions between them and the school authorities. Finally, on August 15 2010, the girls did lead the parade at school, breaking away from years of restraint. It was a moment of celebration, both for the school and me. I had tears in my eyes to see girls march proudly ahead and break the cycle of inequality.”