Tanishq - Mia film (2013)

Once upon a time'.... was the start of Roshni's favourite fairytale. She would listen to her mother soflty telling her the wonderful stories. She would hear it and then as her mother would turn over the pages, she would give a happy squeak whenever she saw the words 'Happily ever after'. It was part of  her, a little voice, that would calm her and tell her that she was going to have a happily ever after ending. As Roshni grew up, she never forgot her aim. But what was it? To do something big, she knew.

Roshni was beautiful. Beauty in the world has changed it's meaning. Wearing a short dress and putting on make-up with heels is not beauty. She had jet black hair, tied into a braid, and she was not very fair. Her hair were usually coming out of her plait and she used to keep stroking them behind her ears. She was very girlish. But coming from a humble background and living in a village, a girl could be anything but girlish.

Her friends were not educated. They could barely even say ABC. Roshni wanted to study. She had an older brother and secretly he taught her English, Hindi, and a little bit of maths.

Her dreams were full of heroes, women heroes. Sonia Gandhi, Elizabeth Blackwell, Beatrix Potter and Anne Frank. Because of Anne Frank, she too wrote a diary, but not with many details.

She was close to one friend, Maya. Maya also soon learned and studied at Roshni's brother's, Rahul's school, which had two students. They were all the best of friends.

Roshni's mother had died when she was three, leaving her with her father, brother and the fairy tales.

On her sixteenth birthday, her father called her when her friends had left their house, after giving their wishes. He gave her a red box, tied with a green ribbon. As she opened it, she saw a pair of earrings. They were gilded with a design of abstract green gems. "They're real?" She softly asked her father. He nodded, replying, " They were your mother's. I gave it to her when we got married. Keep it. Do something great in the world."

Her father had never been those superdads, but if you would see the village, you would regard him as one.

As she became 18, her father started the 'find suitors' brigade.

She pleaded everyone, but everyone thought it was stupid. "No woman here is unmarried. Be mature."

She begged her brother, her father. "Father, please. I won't let you down! I'll do something great. It's  a promise, remeber?"

And then her father remembered. Not the thing he told Roshni, but what he had promised to her mother. To let her break the barriers, the limits- and to give her everything she needed to do something great, to work and make her mark in the world.

Roshni is now a CEO of her company-her schools for girls.

Her brother is now working in an international company.

Maya is a news reporter- all thanks to Roshni and her brother.

Her father is as proud as any father can be. Sometimes, he meets his children and they all sit together for a nice dinner prepared by him- or they have a takeaway.

Recently, Roshini was chosen for the 'top business leader' for her schools and her new- found jewellery store that displays well known brands such as Tanishq- http://mia.tanishq.co.in.

She wore her mother's earrings while recieving her award.

This is her story. And the speech she gave that day.

Roshni means light, fading the darkness away .

And that's exactly what she is. You're welcome to be inspired.

This is a post in association with the Mia Tanishq contest at womensweb.