“Where there is a will, there’s a way.”

This well-known proverb has been around for centuries, but most store it in their basket of proverbs and could write an essay on it. But some live and breathe the words of this proverb every day. Sarita Devi of Jharkhand is one such woman.

Being born in a family that valued female literacy, Sarita could study up to Class 10 before orthodox society started frowning. The fact that she wrote the first board examination caused many of her village’s elders to look down on her. While the men pestered her father with questions about her future, the women sneered at her whenever she ventured out of the house.

But Sarita wore her confidence and determination like armour. She swore that if not her, then her children would accomplish her dreams, not just for her but for every girl told not to fly too high. She will fight the demons of her society as Devi Durga did.

Years have rolled by, Sarita, a wife and a mother of three has realised her dreams and accomplished something far greater.

Her sons are in high school, and her daughter, the pride and joy of her dreams, is a graduate prepping for competitive exams.

Reaching this peak had taken years of hard work for Sarita and her husband, who has a fruit shop.

But Sarita did not stop here; she wanted to become an entrepreneur. She had the will, and she found the means at the Village Financial Services branch in Deoghar.

This time, she had to face the prejudice tainting a woman with her own business and source of income. She roped in some friends and became part of a JLG named Pradhumna.

Sarita launched her garment and cosmetics shop. Her village did not have any shops selling good clothes or cosmetics. People like her had to visit nearby towns or wait for a seasonal fair to deck up for special occasions.

Sarita stocked her shop with a wide range of apparel from Madhupur and cosmetics from Dhanbad. She soon had a clutch of regular customers, many from nearby villages. Her store survived the lockdowns of the COVID19 pandemic in 2020.

While listening to Sarita’s story, I realised that some people live every word of the proverb because it is their second nature. Their strength is drawn not just from talent but their will.