I've met lots of people at SB -- teachers, staff, administration, students, and other volunteers. Each comes with their own story. During my time here I've had the chance to get to know Shilpa Raj -- SB graduate (Class of 2011), classroom teacher for the 4th grade, and writer. In some ways, Shilpa is one of the reasons I am at SB in the first place. Back in August 2010, a friend forwarded me the link to an article Shilpa had written (as a high school senior) titled "
A Chance to Dream: The Shanti Bhavan Residential School Story." Her story led me to follow SB for more than a year before I was able to apply and travel across the globe to be here.
After graduating, Shilpa chose to postpone entering college by one year in order to finish writing and editing her memoir. I have had the privilege of being in conversation with her about small portions of the book and aspects of her life -- as a woman born into poverty and who through education came to a crossroad requiring that she make a conscious choice as to who she wanted to be, how she wanted to live, and what she believed to be the best path for her continuing life. Shilpa herself says that she loves to talk, but what strikes me about her is how carefully she listens, the ways she puts her thoughts into print, and her willingness to question herself, her beliefs, and the beliefs of others and her willingness to struggle with these quandaries as the path to understanding. Despite being only 18, she is immensely wise and incredibly humble. I feel lucky to know her.
And, like I said, she's writing a book, which is tentatively titled
The Elephant Chaser's Daughter. Several other volunteers have been working closely with her and Dr. George to edit the text, preparing it for hopeful publication. Recently, Isabel, one of those volunteers, interviewed Shilpa to talk about the book. I sat in on the interview in order to run the video camera and, while the video is not yet edited, excerpts from the conversation have been posted over on the blog for
She's the First, a partner organization of SB's that advocates for girls' education in developing countries.
To get a taste of Shilpa's story, her book, and her perspectives, go read the post
here. While it's a long process, I am anxiously anticipating the publication of Shilpa's book. She is one of the few individuals who, though education and careful attention, can translate her own experiences of poverty in rural India to a broader audience.
