Lucknow: This Navratri, Sakshi Agarwal decided to place the gift of knowledge in young hands. During Kanya Pujan, the BEd student distributed textbooks alongside colouring kits among little girls, hoping to make festivities meaningful long after the occasion ended. Twelve months earlier, she had likewise replaced customary presents with art supplies. “Women embody the deity’s avatar herself, and helping them grow is my way of worshipping her,” she says.Throughout Lucknow, such thoughtful gestures signal a subtle transformation in how households observe Kanya Pujan, a Navratri tradition venerating young daughters as incarnations of Goddess Durga.Beyond conventional offerings, tuition assistance, uniforms, reading material and stationery are emerging as meaningful tokens of devotion, opening pathways towards promising futures.For Dr Anju Varsheny, this mission began in 2004. Convinced that schooling, ethical principles and community development underpin a dignified existence, she facilitates enrolment for disadvantaged youngsters.After prayers conclude, her courtyard transforms into a lively gathering filled with games, cheerful chatter, sugarcane juice, homemade chana halwa and savoury treats, bringing an affectionate, festive spirit to proceedings.Likewise, Indiranagar-based gynaecologist Dr Renu Jain discovers immense potential in an ordinary slate.Those hesitant first strokes, she believes, may eventually evolve into fluent expression and far-reaching aspirations. Over five years, she has assisted economically disadvantaged pupils by providing satchels, textbooks and study essentials.Before Ashtami, she visits neighbourhood schools, contributes towards academic charges and ensures learners possess the resources necessary to pursue their studies uninterrupted.“I firmly believe that empowering a girl through learning benefits not just her, but generations to come,” Jain says.Romee Banerjee and her husband, Tuhin, champion comparable ideals. During the past twelve months, the pair has helped cover educational expenses and clothing requirements, regarding investment in young minds as vital to national progress.Employed as a biology lecturer at a prominent institute, Romee maintains that every daughter deserves access to knowledge, opportunities to recognise her abilities, and freedom to determine her future.Instead of expecting beneficiaries to approach her, Anushka Srivastava ventured into marginalised neighbourhoods, distributing art materials and nourishment while fostering awareness about schooling.“Sometimes, the smallest gifts awaken the biggest dreams in hearts waiting for their first chance,” she says.
