Varanasi: Mahazabi, a 24-year-old girl from a weaver family, fought against all odds with sheer grit and determination to bring out her family from penury and social orthodoxy.
Her family slipped into abject poverty after the death of her father, Mohammad Yahiya, in 2001. With the meagre earning of Rs 100 a day by cutting sarees, the family of 10 could barely manage something to eat. Mahazabi, who resides in Muslim-dominated Saraiyya locality, had to struggle on social and economic fronts.
As girls in her society are not allowed to study and go out for job, she decided to cross every hurdle coming her way.
She not only studied and got a job in a private hospital but also inspired her younger sister Saba to follow suit.
Mahazabi has eight siblings, six sisters and two brothers. Besides, she had nine step-siblings from the first wife of her father.
After Yahiya’s death, Mahazabi’s step-mother and their children distanced themselves from them.
“They took us as a burden on them and asked my mother to fend for herself. I was just five-year-old when my father expired. As we did not get support from Badi Ammi (step-mother), my mother took up saree cutting work for a living. But, with her meagre-earning we had to skip meals,” said Mahazabi. “There was no question of education for us in such a situation,” she added.
Since 2015, she has working at the front office of a private hospital in Mehmoorganj area. “It was not easy for me to work. I was not only discouraged but also rebuked by my step-siblings. Taking up a job is considered a bad thing in our society,” she said.
She thanked Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, a plastic surgeon, who gave her job after coming to know about her misery. While in job, she did her graduation and post-graduation as private candidate and is planning to pursue PhD.
“I wanted to prove that girls are not inferior to boys in any way,” she said.
Three of her elder sisters are married, while her two brothers are into weaving.
Inspired by Mahazabi, her younger sister Saba also decided to study and earn for the family. While pursuing graduation, she is working in the same hospital as a nutritional counselor since 2017.
“Times are changing and people’s outlook is also no longer the same. Those who once discouraged me from going out for job are now seeking suggestions from me,” she said. “Her determination and fighting spirit not only improved the financial status of her family but also brought a transformation in the outlook of people around her,” Dr Singh said.
Her family slipped into abject poverty after the death of her father, Mohammad Yahiya, in 2001. With the meagre earning of Rs 100 a day by cutting sarees, the family of 10 could barely manage something to eat. Mahazabi, who resides in Muslim-dominated Saraiyya locality, had to struggle on social and economic fronts.
As girls in her society are not allowed to study and go out for job, she decided to cross every hurdle coming her way.
She not only studied and got a job in a private hospital but also inspired her younger sister Saba to follow suit.
Mahazabi has eight siblings, six sisters and two brothers. Besides, she had nine step-siblings from the first wife of her father.
After Yahiya’s death, Mahazabi’s step-mother and their children distanced themselves from them.
“They took us as a burden on them and asked my mother to fend for herself. I was just five-year-old when my father expired. As we did not get support from Badi Ammi (step-mother), my mother took up saree cutting work for a living. But, with her meagre-earning we had to skip meals,” said Mahazabi. “There was no question of education for us in such a situation,” she added.
Since 2015, she has working at the front office of a private hospital in Mehmoorganj area. “It was not easy for me to work. I was not only discouraged but also rebuked by my step-siblings. Taking up a job is considered a bad thing in our society,” she said.
She thanked Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, a plastic surgeon, who gave her job after coming to know about her misery. While in job, she did her graduation and post-graduation as private candidate and is planning to pursue PhD.
“I wanted to prove that girls are not inferior to boys in any way,” she said.
Three of her elder sisters are married, while her two brothers are into weaving.
Inspired by Mahazabi, her younger sister Saba also decided to study and earn for the family. While pursuing graduation, she is working in the same hospital as a nutritional counselor since 2017.
“Times are changing and people’s outlook is also no longer the same. Those who once discouraged me from going out for job are now seeking suggestions from me,” she said. “Her determination and fighting spirit not only improved the financial status of her family but also brought a transformation in the outlook of people around her,” Dr Singh said.
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