Torch - Fall 2016

23 / 64

FALL 2016 • TORCH 21
After Havergal, she completed a chemical
engineering degree at McGill University
and began pursuing new interests in
social justice initiatives. But it’s what she
did next that really opened her eyes to
the world.
After graduating, Desai went travelling
in India, Morocco, Turkey and northern
Europe for eight months. While in India,
she spent a month at the Prerna School
for Mahadalit Girls in Bihar. Started by
Sudha Varghese, the school serves girls
aged six to 16, who are born into the
highly marginalized Mahadalit caste
community. They often face not only
discrimination, but also oppression in
the form of sexual abuse and violence
due to their social status and gender.
“These girls grow up thinking that they
are the lowest that any human on this
planet can get. I remember trying to
teach them Indian classical dance, and
I’d go and try to place one of their limbs
and correct their foot position, and they
would feel so ashamed that I was trying
to touch a part of their body because
they’re conditioned to think that they are
untouchable,” says Desai.
While she contributed as a volunteer by
doing everything from grant writing to
teaching to helping create an Indigogo
campaign (they raised $7,000), Desai says
she also learned a lot herself. She noted
that involving the girls in activities like
karate and yoga, teaching mindfulness
and having travel opportunities all helped
them build their confidence.
Desai says her experience also made
her think more deeply about her time
at Havergal. “For a while I kind of
distanced myself from Havergal because
it was a bubble. But then I started
reflecting on where my confidence or my
passions for education came from. Going
back to Celebration Saturday, I felt how
beneficial that bubble can be when you’re
a young girl in this world. I felt really
lucky to have it.”
She also realized that the schools
had similarities, despite being worlds
apart. “I think something that Prerna
and Havergal have in common is that
they don’t really tell you what you
can and can’t do as a girl. You can do
anything you want, because they’re both
supportive, validating communities.”
Looking at the new Havergal campaign,
Desai says she likes that it connects girls
at their most basic level. She says she
was drawn, for example, to the soil pot
in the flat lay. “I clicked on the video and
it was a girl who was really passionate
about planting and getting dirty in the
mud. And I thought Oh, there’s another
girl who likes doing something that I like
doing and it just makes my confidence
stronger,” says Desai. It’s a message she
sees as contagious.
“I think confidence is like a flame that
can continue lighting other flames of
confidence. The way that self-confidence
is built is through validating, supporting
and exposing yourself to people who have
passions. They’re confident in their own
passions and their own truths, and they
prioritize that over external input
regarding what they should be doing,”
says Desai.
A Flat Lay of
Confidence
A cheerleading competition bow. A
photo of a favourite brother. Eyeglasses.
Headphones. A song sheet. A camera. A
book. A clown nose. These items were
curated to tell the story of Havergal’s
students and an aerial photo was taken to
document the activity.
On Monday, April 18, Havergal students
(Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12)
showed us what inspires confidence in
them by bringing in objects to add to a
giant flat lay in the Double Gym. The
result was an impressive collection of
objects representing the diversity of
ideas these girls have about confidence.
But they’re even more impressive in the
backstory revealed by the girls’ Instagram
stories (which can also be found at
):
• The cheerleading competition bow that
symbolizes a time when she switched
from a sport she’d played for 10 years
to a new pursuit that she wasn’t sure
about.
• The photo of a favourite brother who
helped shape her into who she is today.
• Eyeglasses that help her see in high
definition.
• The headphones that help her take a
break from the world and return with
confidence.
• The song sheet that she used to sing
in front of the school.
• The Polaroid camera that helps capture
all her great memories instantly.
• The first English language book she
ever read, that helped her navigate the
world in two languages.
• The clown nose from Grade 7 that
reminds her she doesn’t have to take
everything so seriously all the time.
Simrin Desai 2010, with the girls at Prerna School for Mahadalit Girls in Bihar, India.