Rohini Pawar
When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor. But my father didn’t encourage it; like all the other girls in my village, I was married at an early age, even before the results of my Class 10 exams were out. He wanted my three sisters and I to be settled and sold many of his fields to pay for our dowry. Two months after I got married, my father had a heart attack and died. Now, my biggest dream is to become completely self-sufficient, and use this to benefit my community. I have been empowered by the use of technology in reporting for IndiaUnheard. I love using the camera and everything about shooting. My husband is in the photography profession, and together we sometimes do the recording at weddings and birthdays. Over the last seven months, I’ve made stories about issues that I hadn’t thought about before, like the difficulties and discrimination that widows face in my community. I interacted with these women and for the first time in my life, I realized their pain. I have learnt so much, and I want to continue sharing these stories about women so others can learn too. Most of all, I want to see my community developed, and the needy educated.

Rohini Pawar has produced 26 stories for us.