From 'balika-vadhu' to activist: A story of grit and determination
At 14, her childhood was mercilessly snatched away when she was married off to a man 18 years her senior. At 21, she is an anti-child marriage activist, and has already spoken in UN on an invite by former chief Ban-ki-Moon. A poor tribal girl from a nondescript West Bengal village, Sanatana Murmu is now credited with the development of her village, Subarnapur.
One day her father declared that since Murmu had attained puberty, she'd be married off, as per community rules. But she wanted to study like her brother, and pleaded with her father against the decision. However, ignoring all her requests, she was married off to a laborer, Govinda Hemram. The only silver lining for her was the kind embrace of her in-laws and Govinda.
Within three years of her marriage, she gave birth to two girls, Vasundhara and Brishti. After Brishti's birth in 2014, Murmu felt hollow inside and wanted to add meaning to her existence. Through a reference, she contacted Kolkata-headquartered Child In Need Institute (CINI), an international humanitarian organization. She started guided-volunteering, where she met married minor girls and held sessions to advocate against teenage pregnancy.
Unsurprisingly, she didn't get much support from fellow villagers. However, she carried on the fight, because "I was lucky I survived, but many girls don't," said Murmu. Amidst all this came the turning-point in 2015: an invitation to speak at the UN. "I'd never left my local area before, yet I was speaking in front of 100 people in the US," smilingly adds Murmu.
Cut to 2015 in New York. Someone in the audience asked her about education, igniting her childhood dream to be a teacher. But for that she needed to complete her education. After all, she had studied only till class VIII. When the nearest school to her village refused to admit her, the BDO intervened. Since then she walks 3kms everyday to attend her classes.
Along with her CINI guide, Murmu has started a helpline where people can give them a head-start if someone elopes to get married. "These kids fall in love and give up their studies and no one cares since it's not done forcibly," she said.
Despite receiving international recognition, she's yet to be acknowledged by the Indian government. Her certificates, silver plates and trophies are "just bright pieces of metal decorating" her cupboard and are meaningless because she doesn't have the money to execute her ideas. But due to her untiring efforts, Subarnapur is more developed. CINI and Murmu can now focus on the next block.
