Remember when we were all going through the most terrible and trying moment of our lives? We plunged into the troubled waters with clenched jaws and dreams of better days. Then there was the first taste of success.

That was the moment all our back-breaking and nerve-wracking efforts were rewarded. That is perhaps a moment worth capturing.

That initial taste of success leaves some of us thirsting for more. Some of us work non-stop to attain more. The initial taste of victory has set off a chain reaction of cravings that propels us toward our higher goals.

The day Rita was promoted to Class 7, she had her first ice cream. It was a milky bar on a stick. Her father was overjoyed with her performance, and as a reward, she was given a sweet that had just arrived from the city.

At her age, the happy girl did not realise that life isn't always sweet.

A year later, stricken with unemployment, Rita's father had to take the toughest decision of his daughter's life. She was made to drop out of school. While the parents pondered how to keep the family afloat, little Rita craved education and ice cream.

Days turned into years. Rita found herself in newer roles. First of a wife, then of a mother. Responsibilities started piling up. The carefree young girl had turned into a woman who took care of the Pal household.

The robes she donned changed, but her yearning remained the same. At that time, one had to leave the village of Nalpur and travel to the nearest town to enjoy ice cream.

Rita did have ice-cream even after the day she had her first, but with every bite, she was reminded of all the children in her village who had to take this arduous journey for a sweet taste of childhood.

The child in her appealed to her motherhood. The mother in her gave birth to the entrepreneur.

The idea germinated into a desire and the desire culminated inaction.

Rita, on the advice of her elders in the village, found herself heading for the Village Financial Services branch. Crossing the threshold of the branch office, Rita made her decision clear. She was going to bring ice-creams, chocolates and candies to the children of Nalpur.

The day she opened the gates of her new shop, the children rushed inside. They marvelled at the sight of the gleaming, white cold storage. One nudged the other with curiosity. Rita pulled up the lid and a cold mist escaped from the white container. She pulled out a frozen pink cup and handed it down to the girl standing nearby.

The taste was met with a loud cheer. Happiness spread like wildfire. Even the adults joined the huge line of customers. To top it all, event orders for ice creams started flowing in.

The village of Nalpur tasted the sweet joy of childhood. The new entrepreneur of Nalpur tasted the sweet taste of success. It had inspired her next move. The profits were reinvested to expand the line of business. The ice cream shop turned into a grocery store.

From dawn to dusk, her store is now packed with customers. The entrepreneurial initiative had motivated scores of young women in the small village of Nalpur. Many turned their hobbies into occupations.

Dramatist George Bernard Shaw wrote, "Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby."

I say, happy is the village that lets its women turn their passion into careers. Because when our women taste success, it transforms the lives of future generations.