Hello, everyone! My name is Megha Ramdas and I am from Guligenahalli, a village in Sira taluk, Tumkur district (Karnataka). I am the only daughter of Dr. Ramdas and Pushparani. My parents never allowed me to move freely in our village, as caste discrimination was a regular practice there. Before moving back to Guligenahalli, we used to live in Bangalore and I was not aware of such issues.
Thus, my life rotated between school and home. I completed my SSLC and PUC with good marks, and my father suggested that I should become an engineer. I agreed to this with enthusiasm and enrolled in an engineering course. During the 2nd semester, my father passed away. After this incident, the responsibility of looking after my family fell on my shoulders. Later on, I realised that engineering was not my interest but, what to do? With difficulty, I completed the B.E. course in four years and I got my degree.
Life for me began then. I still remember the date, it was January 4, 2016, when I came to know about CMCA! In June 2016, I was selected as a CMCA volunteer. This was such a big turning point, it changed my life! I have always been a timid girl, I never used to mingle with or speak in front of others, I was too shy! But today it is different. I can speak boldly and interact with others, even with government officials. I happily teach children and learn with them.
I learnt to face all kind of situations. I developed the skills and resolve to handle a group of 60 students. I realised that being in my home town, I can give back to society.
Thanks to CMCA, I am confident, and people in my village appreciate and respect me. I have gained a lot from my tenure at CMCA, and I will always be a part of all their programmes. I am very happy to be part of CMCA and I will continue to be in the future too! I thank CMCA for giving me the opportunity to grow as a social worker.
This blog was written in Kannada by Megha Ramdas, a former CMCA Karnataka Rural programme volunteer, and published here in English with minor edits. Her blog was the winner of the CMCA Volunteers’ Blogging Contest
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