Abhidha Niphade is your humble, friendly, free-spirited young college girl just out of her teens. For her young years though, she is doing a lot while carrying a lot of responsibilities on her young shoulders, all of which she is immensely passionate about. As Founder of a ‘Being Lawgical’ and the mandate of a Global Youth Ambassador, this young one who hails from a small village in Maharashtra is today working with global youth leaders like Malala Yousafzai and Shakira to help youth stand for themselves with a focus on the field of education. She is a change leader and has her course charted out clearly.
She speaks to Sonali Karande Brahma and shares her story with us today:
I am 20 years old and come from a comparatively small town i.e. Shrirampur from the Ahmednagar district. Fortunately, I was born and brought up in a very broadminded family. I am a girl and moreover, a single child. But these were never issues in my family and I was completely oblivious to the importance given to these things in the society. Although I was a single child and a girl, I was never denied any opportunity by my parents.
From my primary school to graduation, I have been studying in different places and so have experienced and met a large variety of people. While working with the downtrodden and economically weak sections of society I understood the need of law. I think that law education gives you more confidence. Through this tool you can make people cognizant or at least arouse their conscience. During my work, I learnt to be open and willing to understand about the differences in people and respect them.
I have an inherent interest in current affairs. I love intellectual writings, artistic movies, appreciating the creation of nature, watching inspirational videos etc. To work for the needy and see happiness and satisfaction on their faces is my passion and inspiration.
My purpose of life is to live a life of purpose - to live a healthy, intellectual life and work for needy, ignored and oppressed people.
Why I pursued law...
I am currently studying LLB – in the IInd Year in one of the top ranked colleges in India, ILS Law College, Pune. I think an education in law, is a very important tool for me. Through this career I would like to give justice to recurring social issues. The main aim is to implement long lasting change. I intend to become a human rights lawyer. As a future human rights lawyer and primarily as a woman, I feel it my duty to plead for the rights of all women to end the physical and psychological abuse they are subjected to and also changing the way the world sees women.
The idea behind my start up – 'Being Lawgical'
When I was doing my graduation in Pune in SP College, I got connected with an NGO called ROSHNI. During that time, I worked on their various projects such as creating a self-help group of women, conducting a survey on education, working with children in slums etc. I was studying literature at that time but after some experiences I soon realized that to empower women and others it is important to equip them with the knowledge of law. So I took up law.
As I mentioned before, I come from a very small village in India. Coming from a rural background I have seen poverty, illiteracy and ignorance about law. As a law student, I want to do something for the under privileged. I would like to convince them that the law is for their protection and not for their exploitation. Taking inspiration from it, I started my own firm ‘Being Lawgical’, which works for the legal empowerment of the vulnerable and the marginalized, women, children, persons with disabilities, dalits, the poor etc. Being Lawgical believes that a good way to empower justice is to legally empower people to demand it.
I used to work as a Human Rights Defender at Sahyog Trust – Humanistic Proactive Organization along with well-known lawyer and social activist Adv.Asim Sarode. We conducted interactive sessions along with the screening of documentary ‘Right to Life’ in collaboration with Sahyog Trust-Humanistic Proactive Org. in many law colleges in Pune. The sessions are about developing socio-legal perspective of law and also about how can we use our advocacy skills and knowledge with a people-centric approach. I find myself very lucky as I got a chance to work with His Holiness Dalai Lama foundation for few days. Working with them is a life-changing experience. Their struggle, optimism inspired the activist in me. These experiences taught me a lot and are motivating me to work hard in future for the betterment of society.
Getting recognition from an international organization for the work you are doing is indeed a great honor. The title ‘Global Youth Ambassador’ at ‘A World at School’ (UN) has brought many opportunities with it. The appointment is for the duration of three years. The initiative is run by Gordon Brown, The UN special envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of UK. The main responsibility I earned is to mobilize young people to stand up for education and make their voices heard in their communities. I can organize local or national advocacy related events and campaigns. From the organization, I will receive all the support needed to mobilize others for action like, an access to the global campaigning toolkit and the support of a large network of like-minded young people from all over the world. I am getting an opportunity to work with great personalities such as Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, renowned singer Shakira and many more like-minded people. Working with an international network is itself is a learning experience.
This is how I describe myself
Abhidha is an optimistic girl. She is pragmatic and confident and is very close to her family, especially her mother. Her mother is her strength. She is sensitive, sporty and a believer in friendship. She shares a very close bond with her grandmothers and loves to keep them updated about her. When she feels down, she writes and after writing, tears those pages. She is a sportsperson, a mountaineer, who has been to the Himalayan ranges on various expeditions. She enjoys the company of Nature. She loves History and hates Math. She has learnt the ancient Indian script ‘Modi’ and the German language out of interest. She is influenced by the thoughts of respected Mahatma Gandhiji and follows his philosophy of ‘Be the change you want to see in others’.
The iconic first lady of America Michelle Obama is my idol. She is a highly educated, smart, confident woman who is tirelessly working for her causes and inspiring young women. She represents a modern woman who balances her work and family. The work she is doing for women, her advocacy for the underprivileged, inspires me in every possible way. I want to be a woman of worth like her.
I believe that every new day comes with new strength and opportunity. Waking up at 6am, my day starts with meditation. The morning meditation provides me energy for the whole day. After that at 7am I go to college and then I get time for other activities. The other activities include meeting people, planning for sessions, draft making etc. I categorize my work and then work with priority but efficiency is my daily goal.
If I could change one thing about India...
I would like to empathize ‘Karma Siddhanta’ from the Bhagwad Geeta. Do your own work honestly, sincerely and heartily whether anybody recognizes it or not. This is my sincere wish. Today’s working system revolves around only money. I would like to develop a ‘work culture’. I would like to make people work qualitative instead of quantitative.
It is my honor to be featured in SHEROES. I am very thankful to SHEROES for this opportunity and encouraging me to do better. I would like to share my favorite quote,
‘The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in The Beauty of Their Dreams!’
-Eleanor Roosevelt.