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Breaking the Glass Ceiling: One Roof at a Time - Kalpana Saroj
Background
Born into a poor Dalit family, Kalpana was the eldest amongst three brothers and sisters. Her father, a police constable, firmly believed that education was the only way to rescue his children from the throes of poverty. The family lived in Repatkhedha, a tiny village in the western state of Maharashtra (India) where Dalits were barred from drinking from Brahmin wells, and school for Kalpana meant an eight-mile walk along dirt paths and occasional beatings from upper-caste children. When she was 8, an inquisitive Kalpana had asked her mother why she was treated that way only to be reprimanded severely. As a child, Kalpana was studious, yet mischievous, giving her teachers constant trouble. Her favourite hobby was to steal fruits from private orchards, which were her fondest memories of a very short-lived childhood........ |
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In the Indian Dalit society, girls were usually married off at an early age. Kalpana’s father was often ridiculed for encouraging his children to study. Under great duress he got Kalpana married at the age of 12 to a labourer from Mumbai, 10 years older than her. A lot of pressure came from an uncle who considered girls “little packets of poison.” “Your daughter's an ugly, dark-skinned kid,” he told her father. “If someone from Bombay is willing, you should darned well marry Kalpana off.” .......
