GIRL POWER
“I want to become an IAS officer and bring about gender equality in our society. I want to ensure that women get the same respect as men do…they are empowered to think and act freely,” says 17-year-old Khushboo Suman Jha, a 11th standard prodigy of Angel Xpress Foundation. Daughter of a humble security guard, Khushboo feels that women are looked upon as inferior and are not given the opportunities they deserve. “Why can’t women be allowed to think and live freely,” she questions.
The 17-year-old is grateful to her parents for allowing her to live life to the fullest. Her father, who was already living in Mumbai to earn a living moved the family from their village in the Darbangha district of Bihar in 2011. “My father never treated me as a burden and always wanted me to shine and that’s the reason he moved us to Mumbai. The society we lived in Bihar never appreciated women getting educated,” says Khushboo. But getting her way in Mumbai wasn’t particularly easy. Having come from small-town Darbangha, Khushboo found it challenging to get used to the ways of a metropolitan city. Her greatest disadvantage was her inability to understand and speak English. “I just couldn’t understand what was happening in class. Back home I used to run away from school as the teachers used to beat me, here, I couldn’t follow what was happening in class,” she remembers.
The confident, go-getter, bubbly Khushboo that one sees today, was just 11 when she was sent to Angel Xpress Foundation’s facility in Santacruz in 2013. She was naive and confused. “My school teacher asked my mother to send me to Angel Xpress so that I could learn English and that really changed my life,” she remembers. Today Khushboo is not just able to speak in English but she also helps other children with their studies at Angel Xpress. “She was one of the most difficult students, she would just not sit at one place and was always ready to run away,” remembers Anubha Sharma, Founder of Angel Xpress, who used to teach children at the Santacruz centre.
The inattentive, restless Khushboo turned around to get a 84% in her 10th boards. She talks flawlessly and is bubbling with optimism and confidence. She has also won a scholarship to support her future education.
I HAVE LEARNT TO LEARN AND NOT TO ROTE LEARN
While Khushboo completely owes her growth to Angel Xpress, she says that more than learning English and Math, Angel Xpress has taught her life skills, which will guide her throughout her life. “My teachers taught me to value each and every person I met and interacted with, not to look down upon any one. I want to fight for women’s rights and the basic value ingrained in me is to respect every individual.”
“I have learnt to learn and not to rote learn. The education that most schools offer is to mug up the syllabus and reproduce it in the examinations. I read books and newspapers,” she adds.
Khushboo, who is studying commerce at a nearby college is currently preparing for her 12th boards, but as she does so, she has already started preparing for her journey towards becoming an IAS officer. “Since I have to take the UPSC exam, I have started brushing up my general knowledge. It will help me,” she says.
Khushboo Suman Jha is all set to create an inspiring rags-to-riches success story. And, what stands out the most is that she is a young girl who is determined to make it big despite all societal shackles.