Wearing a black gown and cap, holding a graduation scroll and standing ubiquitously in front of a background and smiling at a camera — what does a degree mean to a woman who is the first in her family to acquire one? Prajnya Archives’ ‘First Graduate’ project hopes to find out and record the stories of these women.
While, on the one hand, there are many who make a mark as successful career women, on the other, the right to education still remains elusive for girls in some parts of the country. To highlight this and provide families with an opportunity to rummage through their family albums, and acknowledge the contribution of women, the First Graduate project welcomes pictures and stories of the first women graduates in every family.
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The pictures and stories that are collected will be available on the website so that visitors can access them. The project celebrates family history and the importance of recording it. “We believe family histories are important and serve as sources of learning across generations and women's stories are a vital part of these histories,” explains Swarna. “Getting an education has always been and continues to be an achievement to celebrate. That it is often achieved against great odds, whether in 1935 or 2000 — is a reason for celebration.”
The project has generatedconsiderable interest among families, says Swarna, and they have started asking questions like they never did before. “People are getting excited about sharing their stories. When they realise they don’t have great photos, it will make them wonder why their accomplishment was neither celebrated nor documented,” she adds.
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You can send in your entries for the First Graduate project to archives.prajnya@gmail.com and visit >www.prajnyaarchives.org for more information.