How I became a feminist

I was born and brought up in a small city in India, neither as hustling as Mumbai or Delhi nor as quiet as the countryside areas. Although my parents struggled to keep us afloat, I consider myself privileged that I got formal education. I believe that the right to education is the most basic right of every child irrespective of their country or financial capability. I think I can credit my parents for this thinking. They knew a long time ago that if they want their children to have a good life, they must ensure we get the education we deserve.

I wasn’t their only child. I had an elder brother, one year a few days older than me. I studied in the same co-ed school as my brother till I was in 2nd standard. One day after my 3rd standard classes had just started, my parents sat me down and told me that they had arranged for me to go to a different school. The school I had gotten into was a historically prestigious all-girls missionary school. Unlike most other kids, I was on the top of the moon on hearing this news because something new was happening. The reality did strike me months later, but the school schedule and the coming up to speed part for what I have missed took my mind off it. I was a social person, so it wasn’t challenging for me to make new friends. I was happy.

Very late in my life, I realized that switching schools in the 3rd standard was very difficult, especially if you were moving up in the apparent ranking of schools. Either donation (allegedly) was required, or some exigent circumstances were required, none of which was true in…