Twenty eight-year-old Padma of Yadagirigutta mandala, Nalagonda district, Andhra Pradesh, says, “In our societies, women are pressured to have boys. I have only one girl and she often says, “I am mama’s boy and I am mama’s girl.” My neighbour has four daughters, on the other hand. She stopped educating them after a while. But I persuaded her to send them back to their schools and explained the merits of doing this. Another neighbour of mine married again because his first wife bore him only girls. But his mother is an extraordinary woman – she supports his first wife and helps her in every way possible. My friend was similarly keen to marry a married man who already had two wives. I spoke to her at length and dissuaded her from making a mistake. I hope these actions of mine have helped women in my community.”