How education helped me rewrite my life | Ashweetha Shetty

Translator: Estíbaliz Montero Reviewer: Judit Rodríguez

I was eight years old.

Jo tenia vuit anys.

I remember that day clearly

Recordo aquell dia amb molta claredat,

like it happened just yesterday.

com si fos ahir.

My mother is a bidi roller.

La meva mare cargola cigarretes bidi.

She hand-rolls country cigarettes to sustain our family.

Cargola cigarretes per treure la família endavant.

She is a hard worker

Treballa molt dur

and spent 10 to 12 hours every day rolling bidis.

i es passa entre 10 i 12 hores cargolant cigarretes cada dia.

That particular day she came home and showed me her bidi-rolling wage book.

Aquell dia en concret va tornar a casa i em va ensenyar el llibre de salari.

She asked me how much money she has earned that week.

Em va preguntar quants diners havia guanyat aquella setmana.

I went through that book,

Vaig fullejar el llibre,

and what caught my eyes were her thumbprints on each page.

i em va cridar l'atenció la seva empremta dactilar a cada pàgina.

My mother has never been to school.

La meva mare mai no ha anat a l'escola.

She uses her thumbprints instead of a signature

Fa servir l'empremta del polze en comptes de signar

to keep a record of her earnings.

per portar el compte dels guanys.

On that day, for some reason,

Aquell dia, per algun motiu,

I wanted to teach her how to hold a pen and write her name.

vaig voler ensenyar-la a escriure el seu nom amb un bolígraf.

She was reluctant at first.

Al principi es va mostrar reticent.

She smiled innocently and said no.

Va somriure amb innocència i em va dir que no.

But deep down, I was sure she wanted to give it a try.

Però en el fons, jo estava convençuda que volia intentar-ho.

With a little bit of perseverance and a lot of effort,

Amb una miqueta de perseverança i molt d'esforç,

we managed to write her name.

vam aconseguir que escrivís el seu nom.

Her hands were trembling, and her face was beaming with pride.

Li tremolaven les mans i li brillava la cara d'orgull.

As I watched her do this,

Mentre la veia fer-ho,

for the first time in my life,

per primer cop a la vida,

I had a priceless feeling:

vaig experimentar un sentiment inestimable:

that I could be of some use to this world.

que podia ser útil en aquest món.

That feeling was very special,

Aquest sentiment va ser molt especial,

because I am not meant to be useful.

perquè no se suposa que hagi de ser útil.

In rural India, girls are generally considered worthless.

A l'Índia rural, en general es considera que les noies no tenen cap valor.

They're a liability or a burden.

Són una responsabilitat o una càrrega.

If they are considered useful,

Si se les considera útils,

it is only to cook dishes, keep the house clean

només és per cuinar, endreçar la casa

or raise children.

o criar la mainada.

As a second daughter of my conservative Indian family,

Com que era la segona filla de la meva família índia conservadora,

I was fairly clear from a very early age

tenia prou clar des que era petita

that no one expected anything from me.

que ningú no esperava res de mi.

I was conditioned to believe that the three identities that defined me --

Estava condicionada a creure que les tres identitats que em definien,

poor village girl --

pobra, de poble i noia,

meant that I was to live a life of no voice and no choice.

significaven que viuria una vida sense veu i sense decisions pròpies.

These three identities forced me to think

Aquestes tres identitats em van portar a pensar

that I should never have been born.

que mai no hauria d'haver nascut.

Yet, I was.

Però tot i això, jo existia.

All throughout my childhood, as I rolled bidis alongside my mother,

Al llarg de la meva infantesa, mentre cargolava cigarretes amb la mare,

I would wonder:

em preguntava:

What did my future hold?

què m'oferia el futur?

I often asked my mother, with a lot of anxiety,

Li preguntava sovint a la meva mare, amb molta ansietat:

"Amma, will my life be different from yours?

"Amma, la meva vida serà diferent de la teva?

Will I have a chance to choose my life?

Tindré la possibilitat d'escollir la meva vida?

Will I go to college?"

Aniré a la universitat?"

And she would reply back,

I ella em contestava:

"Try to finish high school first."

"Primer prova d'acabar l'institut".

I am sure my mother did not mean to discourage me.

Estic convençuda que la mare no pretenia desencoratjar-me.

She only wanted me to understand

Només volia que entengués

that my dreams might be too big for a girl in my village.

que potser els meus somnis eren massa grans per a una noia de poble.

When I was 13, I found the autobiography of Helen Keller.

Quan tenia 13 anys, em vaig topar amb l'autobiografia de la Helen Keller.

Helen became my inspiration.

Ella es va convertir en la meva inspiració.

I admired her indomitable spirit.

Admirava el seu esperit indomable.

I wanted to have a college degree like her,

Volia tenir un grau universitari com ella,

so I fought with my father and my relatives to be sent to college,

i em vaig barallar amb el pare i la família per anar a la universitat,

and it worked.

i va funcionar.

During my final year of my undergraduate degree,

Durant el meu darrer curs a la universitat

I desperately wanted to escape from being forced into marriage,

desitjava desesperadament escapar-me d'un matrimoni forçós

so I applied to a fellowship program in Delhi,

i vaig sol·licitar una beca d'investigació a Delhi,

which is about 1,600 miles away from my village.

que està a uns 2500 km del meu poble.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

In fact, I recall that the only way I could fill out the application

De fet, recordo que l'única forma que tenia per emplenar la sol·licitud

was during my commute to college.

era en el trajecte a la universitat.

I did not have access to computers,

No tenia accés a ordinadors

so I had to borrow a college junior's cell phone.

i havia de demanar el mòbil a un estudiant de tercer.

As a woman, I could not be seen with a cell phone,

Com a dona, no se'm podia veure en públic amb un mòbil,

so I used to huddle his phone under my shawl

de manera que l'amagava sota el xal

and type as slowly as possible

i teclejava tan a poc a poc com podia

to ensure that I would not be heard.

per assegurar-me que ningú no m'escoltava.

After many rounds of interviews,

Després de moltes rondes d'entrevistes

I got into the fellowship program with a full scholarship.

vaig entrar en un programa d'investigació amb una beca completa.

My father was confused, my mother was worried --

El meu pare estava confús, la meva mare amoïnada...

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)

My father was confused, my mother was worried,

El meu pare estava confús, la meva mare amoïnada,

but I felt butterflies in my stomach

però jo sentia papallones a l'estómac

because I was going to step out of my village

perquè sortiria del meu poble

for the first time

per primer cop

to study in the national capital.

per estudiar a la capital del país.

Of the 97 fellows selected that year,

Dels 97 estudiants que van seleccionar aquell any,

I was the only rural college graduate.

jo era l'única que s'havia graduat a la ruralia.

There was no one there who looked like me or spoke like me.

Allà no hi havia ningú que se m'assemblés o parlés com jo.

I felt alienated, intimidated and judged by many.

Em sentia aïllada, intimidada i jutjada per molta gent.

One fellow called me "Coconut Girl."

Un company es referia a mi com: "noia del coco".

Can you guess why?

Poden endevinar per què?

Anyone?

Ningú?

That's because I applied a lot of coconut oil to my hair.

Era perquè em posava molt oli de coco als cabells.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

Another asked me where I had learned to speak English,

Un altre em va preguntar on havia après a parlar anglès,

and some of my peers did not prefer to have me on their assignment teams

i alguns dels meus companys no em volien als seus grups de treball

because they thought I would not be able to contribute to their discussion.

perquè creien que no seria capaç d'aportar res.

I felt that many of my peers believed that a person from rural India

Sentia que molts companys creien que algú de l'Índia rural

could not supply anything of value,

no podia aportar res de valor,

yet the majority of Indian population today is rural.

tot i que la majoria de la població actual de l'Índia és rural.

I realized that stories like mine were considered to be an exception

Em vaig adonar que històries com la meva es consideraven una excepció

and never the expectation.

i mai no era el que s'esperava.

I believe that all of us are born into a reality that we blindly accept

Jo crec que tots naixem en una realitat que acceptem a cegues

until something awakens us and a new world opens up.

fins que algú ens fa despertar a un nou món.

When I saw my mother's first signature on her bidi-rolling wage book,

Quan vaig veure la primera signatura de la mare al llibre de salari,

when I felt the hot Delhi air against my face

quan vaig sentir l'aire calent de Delhi a la cara,

after a 50-hour train journey,

després d'un viatge en tren de 50 hores,

when I finally felt free and let myself be,

quan finalment em vaig sentir lliure i vaig ser jo mateixa,

I saw a glimpse of that new world I longed for,

vaig veure un bocí del nou món que desitjava.

a world where a girl like me is no longer a liability or a burden

Un món on una noia com jo ja no és una responsabilitat o una càrrega

but a person of use, a person of value

sinó algú útil, una persona que val la pena

and a person of worthiness.

i una persona que té mèrit.

By the time my fellowship ended, my life had changed.

Quan la beca es va acabar, la meva vida ja havia canviat.

Not only had I traced my lost voice,

No només havia trobat la meva veu perduda,

but also had a choice to make myself useful.

també tenia l'oportunitat de ser útil.

I was 22.

Tenia 22 anys.

I came back to my village to set up the Bodhi Tree Foundation,

Vaig tornar al meu poble i vaig fundar Bodhi Tree Foundation,

an institution that supports rural youth

una institució que dona suport a la joventut rural

by providing them with education, life skills and opportunities.

proporcionant-los una educació, habilitats i oportunitats.

We work closely with our rural youth

Treballem molt en contacte amb els joves

to change their life and to benefit our communities.

per canviar-los la vida i beneficiar la nostra comunitat.

How do I know my institution is working?

Com sé que la meva institució funciona?

Well, six months ago, we had a new joinee.

Doncs bé, fa sis mesos vam tenir una nova incorporació.

Her name is Kaviarasi.

Es diu Kaviarasi.

I first spotted her in a local college in Tirunelveli

La vaig veure per primer cop a la universitat local de Tirunelveli

during one of my training sessions.

durant una de les meves pràctiques.

As you can see, she has a smile which you can never forget.

Com poden veure, té un somriure que no es pot oblidar mai.

We guided her to get an opportunity to study at Ashoka University, Delhi.

La vam guiar perquè estudiés a la universitat Ashoka, a Delhi.

The best part of her story is that she is now back at Bodhi Tree as a trainer

El millor d'aquesta història és que ha tornat a Bodhi Tree com a consellera

working with dedication to make a change in the lives of others like her.

i treballa amb dedicació per canviar la vida dels altres.

Kaviarasi doesn't want to feel like an exception.

La Kaviarasi no vol sentir-se una excepció.

She wants to be of use to others in this world.

Vol ser útil per a la resta de gent del món.

Recently, Kaviarasi mentored Anitha,

Fa poc va ser la mentora de l'Anitha,

who also comes from a remote, rural village,

que també prové d'un poble rural i remot,

lives in a 10-foot-by-10-foot home,

i viu en una casa de 9 m².

her parents are also farm laborers.

Els seus pares treballen en una granja.

Kaviarasi helped Anitha secure admission in a prestigious undergraduate program

La Kaviarasi va ajudar l'Anitha a entrar en un prestigiós programa universitari

in a top university in India with a full scholarship.

a una de les millors universitats i amb una beca completa.

When Anitha's parents were reluctant to send her that far,

Davant la reticència dels seus pares a enviar-la tan lluny,

we asked the district administration officials

vam demanar a l'administració local

to speak to Anitha's parents,

que hi parlés,

and it worked.

i va funcionar.

And then there is Padma.

I després tenim la Padma.

Padma and I went to college together.

Ella i jo vam anar juntes a la universitat.

She's the first in her entire village to attend graduation.

És la primera a graduar-se de tot el seu poble.

She had been working with me at Bodhi Tree

Va estar treballant amb mi a Bodhi Tree

until one day she decides to go to graduate school.

fins que un dia va decidir apuntar-se a un postgrau.

I asked her why.

Li vaig preguntar que per què.

She told me that she wanted to make sure

Em va dir que volia assegurar-se

that she would never be a liability or a burden to anyone

que mai no seria una càrrega o una responsabilitat per a ningú

at any point in her life.

en cap moment de la seva vida.

Padma, Anitha and Kaviarasi

La Padma, l'Anitha i la Kaviarasi

grew up in the most tough families and communities

van créixer en les famílies i comunitats més dures

one could only imagine.

que puguin imaginar-se.

Yet the journey of finding my usefulness in this world

I tot i això, el meu viatge per trobar la meva utilitat en aquest món

served them in finding their usefulness to this world.

va ajudar-les a trobar la seva utilitat en aquest món.

Of course there are challenges.

És clar que hi ha reptes.

I'm aware change does not happen overnight.

Sóc conscient que el canvi no es produeix de sobte.

A lot of my work involves working with families and communities

Part del meu treball consisteix en treballar amb famílies i comunitats

to help them understand why getting an education

i ajudar-los a entendre per què l'educació

is useful for everyone.

és útil per a tothom.

The quickest way to convince them is by doing.

La manera més ràpida de convèncer-los és fent coses.

When they see their kids getting a real education,

Quan veuen els seus fills obtenir una educació real,

getting a real job, they begin to change.

una feina de veritat, comencen a canviar d'opinió.

The best example is what happened at my home.

El millor exemple és el que va passar a casa meva.

I was recently given an award in recognition of my social work

Fa poc vaig rebre un premi pel meu treball social

by the chief minister of my state.

del líder dels ministres del meu estat.

That meant I was going to be on television.

Això implicava que sortiria a la televisió.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

Everyone was hooked on to the television that morning, including my parents.

Tothom estava enganxat a la tele aquell matí, inclosos els meus pares.

I would like to believe that seeing her daughter on television

M'agradaria creure que veure la seva filla a la televisió

made my mother feel useful too.

va fer que la meva mare també se sentís útil.

Hopefully, she will stop pressuring me to get married now.

Amb sort, deixarà de pressionar-me perquè em casi.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

Finding my use has helped me to break free from the identities

Descobrir que sóc útil m'ha fet distanciar-me de les identitats

society thrusts on me --

que la societat m'imposava:

poor village girl.

pobra, de poble i noia.

Finding my use has helped me to break free from being boxed,

Descobrir que sóc útil ha fet que deixi de sentir-me presonera,

caged and bottled.

engabiada i atrapada.

Finding my use has helped me to find my voice,

Descobrir que sóc útil m'ha ajudat a trobar la meva veu,

my self-worth and my freedom.

la meva autoestima i la meva llibertat.

I leave you with this thought:

Els deixo amb aquesta reflexió:

Where do you feel useful to this world?

on se senten útils per a aquest món?

Because the answer to that question

Perquè la resposta a aquesta pregunta

is where you will find your voice and your freedom.

és on trobaran la seva veu i la seva llibertat.

Thank you.

Gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)