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| Sabita is a Core Team Member of YRC Swapno Youth Fellow 2012-13 |
Through my childhood my mother was overworked and never had time for me. I felt ignored. My father would beat her very badly and make her cry. At one time my mother was upset and she left me. I felt very angry and thought that perhaps my mother did not love me.
I withdrew from everything and everyone. My elder brother was also never willing to let me or my sister go out anywhere.
At this time, my 15-year-old elder sister was married off. But she was unhappy. Her husband and in-laws were violent with her and she silently bore it. This made me cry and think that no one stays happy after getting married. So I decided to study a lot, grow up to be a respected person, and never to get married. When I was about to appear for my Madhyamik, my parents decided to get me married. I tried to hide but the boy’s family approved the match based on a photograph. My sister’s marriage had already broken up and using her example I convinced my parents that I did not want to marry now.
Sometime after this, I heard about a youth group called Swapno. I learned that the group members were trained by Thoughtshop Foundation (TF) in Kolkata. I informed my family that I wanted to go to Kolkata. At that time no one objected and so I went and really enjoyed myself.
I joined Swapno and became an active member. One day I found the group sharing stories about their mothers. I gathered the courage to share my innermost feelings - my resentment and conflicts with my mother. I was also able to recall good memories with her. Within the group I found a space to share my sorrows and joys and look at things from a new perspective.
