Our fellow Samita Mohan belongs to Coonoor, a municipality in Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu.

She was raised within a joint family. To earn a living and support her family she opened a small shop and grazed goats.

Since childhood her parents imbibed in her feelings of Nation first. They told her “she wasn't born to serve the family but to serve the nation”, which is why she also took up sports.

But when she got married, she felt like she was trapped. She suffered abuse from the inlaws and was economically dependent on her husband.

She was determined to break away from the shackles of her circumstances. Hence, she decided to seek a separation from her husband.

She craved economic independence and persistently began pursuing a career for herself.

But people looked down upon for being a divorcée which she describes as “the worst phase in her life”. But with her determination and the support of her parents and friends she began her journey towards economic empowerment.

She earned a bachelor's degree in Economics. She now works as a lab technician and also does tailoring.

But she wanted to pursue something bigger and took inspiration from leaders like Rahul Gandhi.

She even contested elections for a Municipal councillor but felt that the existing power structures are hostile to women candidates and women's issues.

Then she came across Indira Fellowship, which helped her realize the importance of women's access to politics. She believes the fellowship inculcated in her a sense of freedom and self confidence. She sees herself as a transformed woman who can now pursue her goal to work for betterment and upliftment of widows and separated women as their plight is often unnoticed. Samita feels it's important for women to understand the importance of education and economic independence before marriage. She believes women are “truly settled” when they have an income, not when they are married.