A student getting a full scholarship to New York’s Bard college may not seem very significant if one didn’t know the story of the girl who got the scholarship. Born in poverty in the red light district of Mumbai, she had an alcoholic and abusive stepfather, and even as a young girl she was subject to crude remarks by men visiting the area. She was depressed as a child, seeing all the violence and abuse around her.

Her mother made sure she studied and with some help she graduated from Mumbai University and joined an NGO that empowered girls from red-light areas to become agents of social change. She then went on to do her Masters in Gender studies and was named by Newsweek in the list of 25 under 25 women who were working to uplift women who were marginalised. She is the first woman from where she lived to study abroad and has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for others.

Shweta Katti’s story is not only very moving and inspiring at the same time, but carries learnings for all of us.

We take our situation and privileges for granted. Sometimes we get so caught up in the bubble of our own world that we don’t even realise what some people go through. Taking the trouble to understand, spend time, and support those who are not as fortunate as us, not only builds our empathy and gratitude, but also gives a different meaning to life.

When we take a step back and look at what all is going on around us, we may well realise the insignificance and pettiness of our egos and some of the things that stress us. We gain perspective when we care to start knowing and understanding.

One person can lift a community, but that person needs a helping hand. Our willingness and ability to be that helping hand to someone, not only has the potential of changing their life, it changes us as well.

We often complain about discomfort, but some people are born in adversity and work their way through it to become inspiration for others. It is not where we are, but where we believe and know we can be that determines our journey in life.

A mother’s sacrifice built a daughter’s future. It doesn’t always have to be about us, we too need to sometimes make a sacrifice in order for someone to make a better life for themselves. And when we reflect in our time of silence, we will realise that sacrifice is nothing but an expression of pure love.

To be born in adversity and go on to become an inspiration for your community, generation and society displays the highest level of resilience, strength, courage, determination, and character. Shweta Katti, we salute you.