Today, when PM Modi spoke about how girls are making their mark in every field and transforming both mindsets and capabilities of society, his words touched me deeply. He said, “When obstacles are removed, new wings are also added to fly in the sky.” Those lines took me straight back 15 years ago.I was already a qualified Chartered Accountant then, yet I had chosen the uncertain path of UPSC preparation instead of joining a job. The financial stability was missing, i was not sitting CA job interviews, and the emotional weight of a full year spent only on studies was beginning to feel heavy.
That year, as part of the Kanya Kelavani Yojana started by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, I received an encouragement award of ₹10,000 from the Gujarat government for clearing UPSC (Prelim) and preparing for mains through Sardar Patel Institute of Public Adminstration
@SPIPAofficial ( Ahmedabad). The amount itself was not life changing for me, but the recognition was.I was supposed to receive the award from
@narendramodi ji himself, but because of an address mismatch, I was redirected to another venue (Gandhinagar) and the certificate was handed over by a state minister. I cried that day not because of the money or the certificate, but because I couldn’t meet the man whose vision had made thousands of girls like me believe we mattered. Yet, when I looked around at that ceremony, I saw hundreds of girls from rural and underprivileged backgrounds, nursing students, school and college girls many of them first-generation learners beaming with pride as they received their awards and scholarships. Wherever i could see there was Modi ji’s imprint, in the very idea that the state was personally invested in every daughter’s education.
I came home that day not disappointed, but immensely proud.I could not clear the UPSC Mains, but something far more permanent happened. A switch flipped inside me. From that day, I silently promised myself that whenever and however I could, I would help other girls continue their education, no matter how small the contribution.
Today when I heard the Prime Minister speak about empowering girls, i felt a bit nostalgic. Because I know firsthand, one thoughtful scheme, one timely encouragement, one leader who genuinely believes daughters should fly, can actually change not just one life, but create thousands of lifelong supporters of the same cause.Thank you, Modi ji, then and now. The wings you gave us back then are still helping us soar.
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