Kamali, 21, lives in Kannaginagar with her family. She joined the hairdressing programme at a crucial time in her life, when there were no job opportunities due to the pandemic. During the course of the programme, we got to understand Kamali and her resilient personality. Kamali had a difficult childhood. Her father was an alcoholic. …

Manasi* lived with her parents and a disabled sister in Nalasopara, Mumbai. She recounts her struggles and abuse at home: “I had two sisters. My father used to come home drunk and beat up my mother everyday. As a child, I only saw fights at home and as a result I could not express my …

When Jasmine* was born, her father left the family because he wanted a baby boy and not a girl. Jasmine’s mother was a commercial sex worker in Kamathipura who struggled to provide for her children alone. She had to attend the customers with her new born child; a situation that no mother should go through. …