The Fair and Lovely Scholarship programme entered its 7th year with yet another set of wonderful young women striving to fulfill their dream of a higher education. The experience of the interview itself was one of awe for the many girls who came to Mumbai from far-flung areas of Maharashtra. For many, this was their first visit to a city and for some, the first time ever to experience such hospitality. But this did not deter them from their aim to put their best forward and compete to avail of the much-required scholarship to pursue their dream of earning a graduation, post-graduation or doctorate degree.
The esteemed panel consisting of Shaina NC, Kavita Karkare, Padmashri Lila Poonawala and Saakshi Tanwar amongst others were moved by some of the heart wrenching stories that scream of discrimination against the girl child. While for some it was hope against hope, as their parents who had the will to educate their child, were too poor to afford the fee. For some others it was not the fee that mattered but the cost of reaching their college or buying the required books for study that proved a daunting threat to their goals of empowerment through education.
Commenting on the initiative, Saakshi Tanwar said, “This is a very novel initiative of Fair and Lovely Foundation. The scholarship seems to be a deeply thought out programme. It has given me insights like the fact that often it is not the fee that stops a girl from seeking college education. For most of these students who come from small towns and villages, higher education means having to travel to the next town which could be about an hour or two.”
Kavita Karkare chipped in to add, “Yes it is very unique to find a thoughtful scholarship. It has spotted the problem and recognized that it could be something as banal as the cost of bus fare she needs everyday that puts her off from seeking higher education.The Fair and Lovely Scholarship actually pays the student all costs from her travel, to books to hostel fees which in essence cover all costs really required to allow her to complete her education.”
With the first of these interviews ending in Mumbai, Fair and Lovely Foundation kick starts the intensive process of short listing, with similar interviews scheduled across India in Lucknow, Indore, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. With 2009, the Fair and Lovely Scholarship enters its seventh year, reaching to the girls from economically underprivileged strata to live up to their dreams. The past has seen eminent personalities like Kiran Bedi, Air Marshal Padmavati Bandhopadyay, Captain Indrani Singh, singer Kavita Krishnamurthi, theatre and TV artist Juhi Babbar, author and writer Sivasankari, Advocate Pinky Anand, public prosecutor Rohini Salian, current home secretary Ms Chandra Iyengar, TV artist Rakshanda Khan, Director TISS, Dr. Parasuraman associated with the Fair and Lovely scholarship.
