Ranju Kumari is a young and an inspiring Youth Leader who belongs to Tandwa village in Patna, Bihar. The 19-year-old is currently in her second year of Bachelor of Arts from Patlipura University in urban Patna. She became a Youth Leader with the Go Nisha Go™ game through her association with Eva Foundation in 2022. “I truly cannot emphasise enough on how much I could relate with Nisha as she traversed through her life decisions,” she says. As she played the game, the realisation dawned on her that education, career, and other life prospects do not come easily for many like her. But unlike how she had to struggle a lot of times on her own, she believes the game will act as a true guiding light for many young girls who would have had to make sacrifices they did not deserve.
Ranju belongs to one of the marginalised Dalit communities in India. In addition to being a girl, her caste identity also became a deciding factor in how difficult it was for her to pursue education. “I loved to study: I was curious and thirsty to know and learn more, but my parents, who did not have the financial means or understood the importance of education, could not see why I was adamant to study,” she says. Educational and/or career prospects for women were completely invisible in her community and village. However, she was determined. She found out that the Nari Gunjan NGO (based out of Patna) ran a school in her village providing free education to all girls. She enrolled herself after talking to the didi there. She joined the school and was lauded by the teachers for picking up so well. But talk of how the school might shut down due to lack of funds were doing the rounds and Ranju, stubborn as ever, continued with her mission to study. She tried to gain admission into a government school nearby, but she says that they probably thought she was joking around and allowed her to sit for one class. “I stood my ground, assured them that my love for studying was here to stay and after some paperwork, I got admitted into the school,” says Ranju. “I was joyful!”
Meanwhile, Ranju’s parents who had made peace with her dream to complete her education, albeit grudgingly, informed her that they could not afford to fund her education any further. As a result, Ranju had to start doing daily wage labour before and after school hours. “I would earn INR 20 in the process, which I would save, little by little, to take care of my school fee, books, uniform, and related expenses,” she says.
“Here’s where I believe I resonated the most with Nisha and her indomitable spirit. Faced with challenges and curveballs one after the other, Nisha (with a little help from us, of course) does not give up. Nor did I,” says Ranju.
She began developing an interest in football, but her family members were against her playing. During that time, she was supported by CREA - another not-for-profit organisation, that facilitated football coaching for her. As a result, she began participating in school tournaments! She would get INR 200 after the matches they won and thereafter, that is how she saved up for her education.
Unfortunately, her interest to pursue higher education and to play football became fodder for neighbours and villagers to shame her. “They would ask their daughters to not engage with me, deeming me “characterless” because I wore shorts, played football, and travelled, “despite being a girl ``'', says Ranju. This was the last straw for her family, which was already on the fence when it came to her future. They instantly turned against Ranju. But this time, she was sure nothing could deter her spirit.
Ranju is now associated with several organisations, including the Go Nisha Go programme through Eva Foundation. She also travels within and beyond Patna to take workshops on several important issues, such as gender-based violence, sexual harassment at the workplace, sexual and reproductive health, contraception and family planning, etc.
“I enjoy living my life on my own terms, and I believe I only made the best decisions for myself,” says Ranju.