Nineteen-year-old Usha Rani Bai of Kadri town, Andhra Pradesh, says, “I had an accident when I was young. My family is conscious of the way I look. But I have climbed over the tragedy and my physical handicaps. My mother tells me to remain inside the home and not get involved in the campaign but I want to. I feel useful doing work for the campaign as it fills me with a sense of purpose. Even today I have come to meet you without informing my mother. My father drinks heavily. I have begun speaking to him and he has actually begun to listen to me. I find it reassuring because earlier he would have dismissed my suggestions outright. I persuaded a woman not to commit suicide after she confided in me that squabbles in her home was pushing her to take her life. I do not know whether I will achieve anything. But I am going to try. If I can get past my personal setbacks, I am sure other women can. I want to help them do this.”