How education helped me rewrite my life | Ashweetha Shetty

Translator: Azfa Adid Reviewer: Made Pramana

I was eight years old.

Saya waktu itu berumur 8 tahun.

I remember that day clearly

Saya ingat betul hari itu

like it happened just yesterday.

seperti baru terjadi kemarin.

My mother is a bidi roller.

Ibu saya seorang penggulung rokok bidi.

She hand-rolls country cigarettes to sustain our family.

Dia menggulung rokok desa dengan tangannya untuk menopang keluarga.

She is a hard worker

Dia pekerja keras.

and spent 10 to 12 hours every day rolling bidis.

10-12 jam setiap hari dia gunakan untuk menggulung rokok bidi.

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

Hari itu, dia pulang, membawa buku upah hasil menggulung bidi.

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

Saya disuruh menebak berapa uang yang dia dapatkan minggu itu.

I went through that book,

Saya membaca bukunya,

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

menariknya, ada cap jempol ibu di setiap halaman.

My mother has never been to school.

Ibu saya tidak pernah sekolah.

She uses her thumbprints instead of a signature

Dia lebih suka menggunakan cap jempolnya, dari pada tanda tangan,

to keep a record of her earnings.

untuk menyimpan catatan penghasilannya.

On that day, for some reason,

Hari itu, karena beberapa alasan,

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

Saya ingin mengajarinya cara memegang pulpen dan menulis namanya.

She was reluctant at first.

Mulanya, dia memang enggan.

She smiled innocently and said no.

Dia senyum polos dan berkata tidak.

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

Tapi di lubuk hati, saya yakin dia ingin mencoba.

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

Dengan ketekunan dan usaha yang keras,

we managed to write her name.

kami berhasil menulis namanya.

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

Tangannya gemeteran, dan wajahnya berseri penuh bangga.

As I watched her do this,

Ketika saya melihat dia menulis,

for the first time in my life,

untuk pertama kalinya,

I had a priceless feeling:

saya memiliki perasaan yang tidak ternilai harganya:

that I could be of some use to this world.

saya akhirnya bisa berguna untuk dunia.

That feeling was very special,

Perasaan itu sangat berarti,

because I am not meant to be useful.

karena saya tidak ditakdirkan untuk berguna.

In rural India, girls are generally considered worthless.

Di pedesaan India, kaum perempuan dianggap tidak berguna.

They're a liability or a burden.

Mereka hanya dianggap beban.

If they are considered useful,

Jika memang dianggap berguna,

it is only to cook dishes, keep the house clean

itu hanya tentang memasak dan membersihkan rumah

or raise children.

atau mengurus anak.

As a second daughter of my conservative Indian family,

Sebagai anak perempuan kedua dari keluarga India yang konservatif,

I was fairly clear from a very early age

cukup jelas, sejak kecil,

that no one expected anything from me.

tidak ada yang bisa diharapkan dari saya.

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

Saya terpengaruh untuk percaya tiga identitas yang melambangkan saya --

poor village girl --

gadis desa miskin --

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

yakni saya hidup tanpa suara dan pilihan.

These three identities forced me to think

Tiga identitas ini membuat saya berpikir

that I should never have been born.

bahwa seharusnya saya tidak dilahirkan.

Yet, I was.

Nyatanya, saya ada di sini.

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

Selama masa kanak-kanak, selama saya menggulung bidi dengan ibu saya,

I would wonder:

saya bertanya-tanya:

What did my future hold?

Saya akan jadi apa?

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

Saya sering bertanya pada Ibu, dengan gelisah,

"Amma, will my life be different from yours?

"Bu, akankah hidup saya berbeda dengan hidup Ibu?

Will I have a chance to choose my life?

Apakah saya bisa memilih jalan hidup saya?

Will I go to college?"

Bisakah saya kuliah?"

And she would reply back,

Dan dia menjawab,

"Try to finish high school first."

"Selesaikan SMA dulu."

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

Saya yakin Ibu tidak bermaksud mematahkan semangat saya.

She only wanted me to understand

Dia hanya ingin saya mengerti

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

bahwa mimpi saya mungkin terlalu tinggi untuk seorang gadis desa.

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

Di umur 13 tahun, saya menemukan autobiografi Helen Keller.

Helen became my inspiration.

Helen itu inspirasi saya.

I admired her indomitable spirit.

Saya kagum akan semangatnya yang gigih.

I wanted to have a college degree like her,

Saya ingin mendapat gelar seperti dia,

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

jadi saya bertengkar dengan ayah dan keluarga untuk didaftarkan kuliah,

and it worked.

dan berhasil.

During my final year of my undergraduate degree,

Selama tahun terakhir dari S1 saya,

I desperately wanted to escape from being forced into marriage,

Saya mati-matian menolak paksaan untuk menikah,

so I applied to a fellowship program in Delhi,

jadi saya melamar program beasiswa di Delhi,

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

sekitar 2.574 kilometer jauhnya dari desa saya.

(Laughter)

(Tawa)

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

Faktanya, saya ingat satu-satunya kesempatan mengisi lamaran

was during my commute to college.

yaitu selama perjalanan saya ke kampus.

I did not have access to computers,

Saya tidak punya akses komputer,

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

jadi saya harus meminjam telepon adik tingkat saya.

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

Perempuan tidak boleh terlihat menggunakan telepon

so I used to huddle his phone under my shawl

jadi saya menyembunyikan teleponnya di balik selendang saya

and type as slowly as possible

dan mengetik sepelan mungkin

to ensure that I would not be heard.

supaya tidak terdengar.

After many rounds of interviews,

Setelah banyak wawancara,

I got into the fellowship program with a full scholarship.

saya berhasil ikut program "fellowship" dengan beasiswa penuh.

My father was confused, my mother was worried --

Ayah saya bingung, ibu saya khawatir --

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

My father was confused, my mother was worried,

Ayah saya bingung, ibu saya khawatir --

but I felt butterflies in my stomach

tapi saya gugup

because I was going to step out of my village

karena saya akan meninggalkan desa

for the first time

untuk pertama kalinya

to study in the national capital.

untuk sekolah di ibukota.

Of the 97 fellows selected that year,

Dari 97 orang yang terpilih tahun itu,

I was the only rural college graduate.

hanya saya lulusan yang berasal dari pedalaman.

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

Tidak ada yang berpenampilan atau berbicara seperti saya.

I felt alienated, intimidated and judged by many.

Saya merasa terasingkan, terintimidasi, dan dinilai buruk oleh banyak orang.

One fellow called me "Coconut Girl."

Satu teman memanggil saya "gadis kelapa."

Can you guess why?

Coba tebak kenapa?

Anyone?

Ada yang tahu?

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

Karena saya menggunakan banyak minyak kelapa di rambut saya.

(Laughter)

(Tawa)

Another asked me where I had learned to speak English,

Ada yang bertanya dari mana saya belajar Bahasa Inggris,

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

dan beberapa menghindari saya untuk kerja kelompok

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

karena mereka pikir saya tidak bisa berkontribusi dalam diskusi.

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

Saya rasa, teman saya percaya bahwa orang dari pedesaan India

could not supply anything of value,

tidak bisa memberikan sesuatu yang berharga,

yet the majority of Indian population today is rural.

tapi kebanyakan populasi India sekarang adalah orang pedalaman.

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

Saya sadar, cerita semacam saya ini dianggap pengecualian

and never the expectation.

bukan harapan.

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

Saya percaya kita semua terlahir dengan kenyataan yang diterima begitu saja

until something awakens us and a new world opens up.

sampai sesuatu membangunkan kita dan dunia baru terbuka.

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

Saat saya melihat tanda tangan pertama ibu di buku upah dari menggulung bidi,

when I felt the hot Delhi air against my face

saat saya merasa panasnya Delhi mengenai wajah saya

after a 50-hour train journey,

setelah 50 jam di kereta,

when I finally felt free and let myself be,

saat saya akhirnya merasa bebas dan menjadi diri sendiri,

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

saya melihat sekilas dunia baru yang saya rindukan,

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

di mana gadis seperti saya bukan lagi sebagai beban

but a person of use, a person of value

tapi orang yang berguna, bernilai

and a person of worthiness.

dan berharga.

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

Saat program beasiswa saya berakhir, hidup saya berubah.

Not only had I traced my lost voice,

Saya tidak hanya menemukan suara saya yang hilang

but also had a choice to make myself useful.

tapi juga punya pilihan untuk memberdayakan diri.

I was 22.

Saat itu saya berumur 22 tahun.

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

Saya pulang ke desa saya untuk mendirikan "Bodhi Tree Foundation,"

an institution that supports rural youth

institusi yang mendukung pemuda pedalaman

by providing them with education, life skills and opportunities.

dengan memberi mereka pendidikan, keterampilan hidup, dan kesempatan.

We work closely with our rural youth

Kami bekerja sama dengan pemuda pedalaman

to change their life and to benefit our communities.

untuk mengubah hidup mereka dan mendukung komunitas kami.

How do I know my institution is working?

Bagaimana saya tahu institusi saya berhasil?

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

Jadi, enam bulan sebelumnya, ada yang bergabung.

Her name is Kaviarasi.

Namanya Kaviarasi.

I first spotted her in a local college in Tirunelveli

Saya pertama kenal dia di universitas lokal di Tirunelveli

during one of my training sessions.

di salah satu sesi pelatihan saya.

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

Anda bisa melihat, senyumnya tidak bisa Anda lupakan.

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

Kami membimbingnya untuk berkesempatan belajar di Ashoka University, Delhi.

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

Yang menarik dari kisahnya, dia sekarang kembali ke Bodhi Tree sebagai pelatih

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

berdedikasi untuk mengubah hidup orang banyak menjadi seperti dia.

Kaviarasi doesn't want to feel like an exception.

Kaviarasi tidak ingin dikecualikan.

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

Dia ingin berguna untuk dunia.

Recently, Kaviarasi mentored Anitha,

Belakangan ini, Kaviarasi membimbing Anitha,

who also comes from a remote, rural village,

yang juga dari desa pinggiran yang jauh,

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

tinggal di rumah 3x3 m,

her parents are also farm laborers.

orang tuanya juga buruh tani.

Kaviarasi helped Anitha secure admission in a prestigious undergraduate program

Kaviarasi membantu Anitha masuk di program S1 bergengsi

in a top university in India with a full scholarship.

di universitas kelas atas di India dengan beasiswa penuh.

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

Saat orang tua Anitha enggan menyekolahkannya begitu jauh,

we asked the district administration officials

kami meminta pejabat administrasi kabupaten

to speak to Anitha's parents,

untuk berbicara dengan mereka,

and it worked.

dan berhasil.

And then there is Padma.

Kemudian, ada Padma.

Padma and I went to college together.

Padma dan saya belajar di universitas yang sama.

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

Dia adalah orang pertama di desanya yang wisuda.

She had been working with me at Bodhi Tree

Dia telah bekerja dengan saya di Bodhi Tree

until one day she decides to go to graduate school.

sampai suatu hari dia berencana melanjutkan S2.

I asked her why.

Saya bertanya kenapa.

She told me that she wanted to make sure

Katanya, dia ingin memastikan

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

dia tidak akan pernah menjadi beban lagi untuk orang lain

at any point in her life.

sepanjang hidupnya.

Padma, Anitha and Kaviarasi

Padma, Anitha, dan Kaviarasi

grew up in the most tough families and communities

besar di keluarga dan lingkungan yang paling sengsara

one could only imagine.

yang pernah dibayangkan.

Yet the journey of finding my usefulness in this world

Perjalanan saya menemukan kegunaan diri saya di dunia ini

served them in finding their usefulness to this world.

membuat mereka menemukan kegunaan diri mereka juga.

Of course there are challenges.

Tentu, ada banyak tantangan.

I'm aware change does not happen overnight.

Saya sadar, perubahan tidak terjadi satu malam.

A lot of my work involves working with families and communities

Sebagian besar pekerjaan saya adalah mengajak keluarga dan komunitas saya

to help them understand why getting an education

untuk membantu mereka mengerti kenapa pendidikan

is useful for everyone.

berguna bagi semua orang.

The quickest way to convince them is by doing.

Cara tercepat untuk meyakinkan mereka adalah dengan bertindak.

When they see their kids getting a real education,

Saat mereka melihat anaknya mendapat pendidikan nyata,

getting a real job, they begin to change.

pekerjaan yang nyata, mereka mulai berubah.

The best example is what happened at my home.

Contohnya yang terjadi di rumah saya.

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

Saya mendapat penghargaan untuk pekerjaan sosial saya

by the chief minister of my state.

dari menteri utama negara saya.

That meant I was going to be on television.

Artinya, saya masuk TV.

(Laughter)

(Tawa)

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

Semua orang menonton TV pagi itu, termasuk orang tua saya.

I would like to believe that seeing her daughter on television

Saya yakin, melihat anaknya masuk TV

made my mother feel useful too.

membuat ibu saya merasa berguna juga.

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

Semoga dia berhenti memaksa saya untuk menikah sekarang.

(Laughter)

(Tawa)

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

Mengetahui kemampuan saya telah membantu saya terbebas dari identitas

society thrusts on me --

yang dibuat masyarakat untuk diri saya --

poor village girl.

gadis desa miskin.

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

Mengetahui saya berguna, membantu saya terbebas dari kotak,

caged and bottled.

kurungan, dan botol.

Finding my use has helped me to find my voice,

Mengetahui saya berguna, membantu saya menemukan suara saya,

my self-worth and my freedom.

harga diri, dan kemerdekaan saya.

I leave you with this thought:

Anda mungkin berpikir:

Where do you feel useful to this world?

Di mana Anda bisa berguna untuk dunia?

Because the answer to that question

Jawabannya adalah

is where you will find your voice and your freedom.

tempat di mana Anda menemukan suara dan kemerdekaan Anda.

Thank you.

Terima kasih.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)