She Refused to QUIT!!

The phone beeped.
*Congratulations on clearing the written exam of Infosys. Kindly download your interview call letter from your registered email id for the placement drive at New Delhi on 25th September, 2014.*
She smiled.
"Finally I did it. Maa I am going to the cyber cafe. I'll be back in a few minutes."
She took out her cycle and rushed to the nearest cyber cafe which was around a kilometer away from her place. The heat was unbearable. She was sweating profusely yet it made no difference to the enthusiasm she carried in her heart. She parked and chained her cycle and entered the cafe.
She felt proud holding her call letter. She was among the very few who cleared the written round. Again she climbed on her cycle and paddled at lightening speed to her way back home.
"Appa would be very happy. Now I can support my family. Under any circumstance I will grab this job", she thought.
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"Hmmmm How will you go to Delhi? Will you get a job in Delhi?", Appa inquired sternly.
"Appa I don't know where I will be joining. It is the interview round", she spoke meekly.
"Let me discuss it with some knowledgable people in our colony. Mr. Shrivastava would know better. His son is also working in New Delhi."

She lived in a small town 170 kilometers away from Lucknow. She was glad that she got a chance to graduate. Most of the girls were married off early or not even given a chance to continue their education after class 12th. Her society had still not come to terms with the advancements going in the country. Somehow the motivational speeches and assurances of ministers never reached her town. Her town continued it's life in their blissful ignorance. It was tough decision for her father to allow her to study. He faced the wrath of the society but he never said anything. He always asked her to continue doing her work irrespective of what people had to comment. He taught her that it is important for her to fight back but not with her words but her actions. She had to prove everyone that being a girl she was equally competent. Her father trusted her immensly and she vowed never to break it.
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"Oh ho Tripathi saab you are sending your daughter to Delhi now for a job? Are you still not satisfied that she is a graduate? Now you want to eat off her salary", taunted Mrs. Shrivastava when her father went to seek Mr. Shrivastava's advice in the evening.
"No bhabhi. She wants to do a job. And she is educated so not doing a job would be wastage of the talent and skill she has."
She stood still next to her father glaring at Mrs. Shrivastava.
"Her own daughter sits at home all day talking and watching television wasting her time, she wouldn't say a word to her", her thoughts were fuming.

"Vaise Tripathi Saab last year Misra ji also sent his daughter for a job. People were telling me she was caught living with 4 boys and even accused of doing prostitution. Tauba Tauba Tch Tch!!! Such shameless girls are a blot on the society. Her father sent her for a job and she did this. This is what happens in bigger cities. These girls lose their character, drink and smoke and roam with boys. These are the kind of girls who get raped or sell their bodies", Mrs . Shrivastava venom to the atmosphere with her viscious words and evil smile.

"Bhabhiji why are you telling me this? I have full confidence in my daughter. I'll take my leave now. Tell Mr. Shrivastava that I came," her father replied and ushered her to move as well.
"Tripathi Saab hope you don't regret your decision." Mrs. Shrivastava slammed the door shut.
The echo resonated in her ears. Tears of humiliation formed in her eyes. She came back home and announced that she did not wish to go anywhere.
Her father came and sat down next to her.
"So you are quitting? So easily? This is not even one hundredth of the evil that you will be facing out of the down. How can my brave daughter be detered by useless words of a neighbour. You will go and prove them wrong.  You need to understand the responsibility you have on your shoulders. See one wrong step by Misra ji's daughter has closed doors for many girls who aspired to work. You have to go out and set another example, a motivating one so that when people quote the bad things there is some little hope generated by telling that not everyone faces the ills of the society and not everyone succumbs to the pressures. You are not just going for yourself but for all theses young girls who will graduate one day. Those who would want to do a job. You represent not only us but all the females around."
She felt ashamed of having thoughts about quitting. She wiped her tears away.
"Appa I am sorry to let you down but I promise I will come back with an job."

She had four days in hand. She started preparing for her interview. She revised and revised. Her mother washed, starched and ironed her favorite kurta. She beamed seeing her dress. She kept all her certificates in a folder her father got for her. Her father got her seat reserved in an AC compartment which was a luxury for her because he did not want her to feel tired after the journey.
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"Bye all the best. Make me proud", her father waved as her train gained momentum.


She entered the premises of the building where her interview was going to be held. She saw everyone clad in shirts and trousers. Their clothes radiating the aroma of newness and the royalty they live in. Almost no one was wearing a kurta. The girls were speaking in English continuously. All of sudden her kurta did not feel as special as it did minutes ago. She felt intimidated. She felt uncomfortable and her confidence went all time low. She went and sat next to a group of girls. Not that she wasn't fluent in English. Her conversation skills and expertise over her subject were her strong assets. But she felt a misfit in this new city among everyone. Everyone was holding big smartphones with screens bigger than their hands. She silently slid her Nokia 1100 in her bag. She forced herself to smile and clearing her throat mustered a "Hello" to the girls sitting next to her.
They looked at her with amused looks.
They started whispering amongst themselves not paying any heed to her.
She went to the washroom and cried. She took out her phone and called at her landline.
"Hello", her father picked up the phone.
She hung. She couldn't tell him that she wanted to quit again.
"He invested so much money in my education. He arranged for an AC compartment so that I travel comfortably. He has so many hope from me. I am here to answer back Mrs. Shrivastava and all ladies who find our education a peril. I have to do it. I have to. My clothes don't make any difference but my skills do. I will do my part. Rest it is upto God."
She drank water and went ahead towards the Group Discussion round.

"Your topic is Globalization has led to Linguistic differences"

The grueling session lasted for next 10minutes. Everyone was amazed seeing her speak so fluently and her thoughts laced with facts and figures. The GD was a cake walk for her. Her confidence increased.
She cleared the GD.
Round after round her confidence increased. She felt better and better. By the last round there were only 10 students left. She made friends with almost all of them. She realized each one of them is facing the same fear if rejection. It did not matter from which background they came. Their skills were speaking and not their old report cards. Everyone was given an opportunity. And everyone was trying to avail it. She felt as their equal.
She made her way to the HR round.

"You hail from such a small town. How do you find in it Delhi?"
"Sir the place we live in has a lot of impact on our mentality. But I guess I am coping up. Delhi just like my town is full of aspiring young people. I hail from a small town but we have faced equal hardships. Life tests at every place."
"Hmm lots of wisdom. Are you ready to relocate?"
"Yes sir."
"Tell me something about you other than what your CV mentions."
"Sir before I came in here I was told how difficult it is to survive in this world. There are so many ills but then my father insisted that I come here and bring a change. This is not just a job opportunity but an opportunity to bring some little change in the mentality of people of my town. Even in my town we study English, get the same technical education. I have read all novels by Dan Brown, Norman Vincent Peale. I follow news regularly. I write articles. Being from a small town has nothing to do with skills one has. And I want to change that."
"Well just because you have stated this I must tell you I hail from a village in Tamil Nadu.You can make it big when you want to. And it is people like you who achieve their dreams. Welcome to the Infosys family."
"Yes sir?"
"I said welcome you are selected."
"Thank you so much sir."

She went outside and gave a call to her father.
"Appa I did it."
"God bless you my child."

Her father wore his shirt and made his way to Mr. Shrivastava's house with a box of sweets.
Change was on its way.