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When I sat to pen down my thoughts on my first job experience, I was indecisive about what aspect to write about. There was so much happening—a new job, living all by myself in a new city, transition from being a student to a proffessional. Everything was suddenly different now and I was struggling and adjusting with this new phase of life. I thought I was strong and independent but dealing with so many things on my own made me feel burdened. My workplace was not a stereotypical workplace, it was a ‘free space’ for 60 girls who come there everyday.This was called the Technical Centre. But this name did not express what really happened inside. It was so much more. To own that space required me to have its complete understanding. It was a big deal for me given that this was my first job experience. The onus was on me to impart the seeds of feminism, a rights-based approach and other similarly categorized ‘big’ words.  I was taking responsibility of their growing. This was not a conventional experience for them either—it was a platform to build leadership for the girls so that they become strong, decisive and learn to fight for their rights. Reading all about feminism, gender, sexuality in my college and university, I was struck by the complexity of relating it with the feminism in everyday life. 

When I was told to take classes in Tech Centre, I was really really nervous. Feminism! Patriarchy! Technology!- all these are very big terms to be taught to girls who are struggling with their own problems. The girls probably cannot define what do they understand by our ideology, but they have their own understanding of it which is really intriguing. This took me a while to understand. As I interacted with them over a period of time, I realised how much I had underestimated. The girls were already ‘budding feminists’ in their thoughts and approaches in their own small way. And to top it all, their struggles and hardships are like a mountain in comparison to my tiny heap of challenges. I realized how privileged I already am and how difficult life can get. And this gave me a lot of strength to open my arms to everything that was coming or will come my way. 

Once, I was asked to take English class for the girls. Not knowing exactly what to teach, I decided to know them better instead. I am still in my rapport building phase and this was a good way to strike a chord. I gave them a paragraph to write about themselves in English. What I got in return was a sneak peak into their lives. It was then that I realised what this ‘free space’ means to them. These were lives which start at 4 in the morning to fill water for the household use, cooking, cleaning, school, studies etc. I understood then how essential is this space for them. Coming to FAT was one tiny step towards their liberation. And I felt happy to be a part of it. 

The actual ice-breaking started after it was just another day and two girls decided to come to me and start telling me all about their life. At a tender age of 14, they were making their ends meet. With all the everyday struggles and daily battles that the girls fight, they wish to become something or maybe even somebody. And this is what binds all the girls together. Every girl is a budding feminist and an aware citizen in this space or, perhaps, as a result of this space. After coming here and interacting with the girls over a period of time, I have realised that there is a Feminism that exists not just in textbooks, in academia or among “activists”.  We may still not realise as the results are not very prevalent but it is heartening to see that feminism is spreading. It is there as a seed in the minds of hundreds of young, passionate girls, regardless of their background. We just need to nurture that seed until it grows into a full blown tree. Indeed, the journey has begun.

- Risha has recently join FAT team as a trainee in the Tech Center Program