MARIA FERNANDES | NT
Born in a small village of Basarkod in Bijapur District of Karnataka, Sujata Jamadarkhani came to Goa with her parents when she was just a toddler. Her father, a mason, laboured hard to feed his family of six which included his wife, three daughters, and son. But the family struggled every month to make ends meet. Her father’s drinking problem further exacerbated the problem.
“To supplement my dad’s earnings, my mum worked as a domestic help. And as the oldest, I looked after my siblings when she was at work,” she recalls. This instilled in Jamadarkhani not just confidence to handle situations in the absence of her parents but also a sense of responsibility.
Seeing the hardships her parents had to undergo, Jamadarkhani decided early on that she would study and become a teacher so she could contribute to the family’s income. “Even with both my parents working, their wages were barely sufficient to run the house but we were fortunate that, the women of the homes where my mum worked, helped us a lot,” she shares.
With help from benefactors who also gave their time to tutor her and her siblings, Jamadarkhani progressed at a steady pace in school. However, while in Class 8, she was taken to her village in Karnataka and engaged to a boy 10 years her senior. “My parents had informed me that I would be engaged and I was actually looking forward to it as I was only 14 and did not understand the implications of this. For me, it was an opportunity to meet my family and celebrate,” she shares.
After the engagement, Jamadarkhani returned to Goa and life went on. Two years down the line, reality hit. “My parents wanted me to get married even before my Class 10 results were out. But I had plans to study further and fulfil my dream of becoming a teacher. I pleaded with them that I was too young to marry but they refused to understand me,” she recounts. It was a harrowing time for her and she found it extremely difficult to go up against long-standing tradition and beliefs. “Our financial situation was another reason my parents wanted to marry me off at an early age. Also, since the boy was a relative from my mother’s side there wasn’t too much demand for dowry, so according to my parents it was a good match,” she says.
Jamadarkhani finally confided in her teachers, hoping they would make her parents see sense but to no avail. With no other alternative, the night before they were to depart for Karnataka, Jamadarkhani ran away from home.
“I stayed the night at my tuition teacher’s home. But the next day I went home as I knew the concerned authorities had been informed of my situation. I was really scared of what would happen but I had a lot of support and prayed hard,” she says. Fortunately, that evening, social services and the police visited her parents and spoke with them. Their intervention helped Jamadarkhani escape from an early and unwanted marriage.
Today, she works as a nurse in a reputed hospital and is happy in her career and life. “I did not get admission to the teacher’s course. Thus, I opted for a three-year General Nursing and Midwifery course in Belgaum,” she says, while crediting the S.T.A.R.S NGO for funding her education and other expenses while in Belgaum.
Courage, perseverance, and the ability to adapt have helped Jamadarkhani face challenges head on. “I have realised the infinite power of education and standing my ground. The support I received from my benefactors has ensured my steady growth and motivated me in so many ways. Today, I feel empowered and want to do much more,” she says.
