India, Aug. 14 -- On this Independence Day, let's recount the story of a girl from Samastipur whose idea of a free India was much different from reality
On one of my field visits to Samastipur, a district town in Bihar, a couple of years back, I met Chandni (name changed). I went there to meet the locals in an area where one of our partner organisations was working.
Chandni was still very much in her early teens. She came running to meet me, highly recommended as one of the upcoming singers of her village. There was something in the vibrant smile she wore, as she sang a couple of songs for me. By the time she stopped singing, I knew that I wanted to know about her journey.
And what a story that was!
When she hit puberty, Chandni came to...