It’s the kind of story about which movies are made. A young blind woman in India named Nikita Shukla had her life changed completely after a chance encounter with a radio jockey.
Shukla had won a radio contest with Radio City 91.1 and when she went in to collect her prize, the twenty-one-year-old requested to meet the radio jockeys at the station. Upon meeting Shukla, radio jockey Sucharita Tyagi learned her story and became very inspired. The whole thing played out in a series of tweets from Tyagi’s twitter account.
Tyagi started off by tweeting, “Story time you guys. I’ve been [a radio jockey] for 10 years, and today is the FIRST time I truly experienced the power this medium has, what it can do.”
She went on to explain that when Shukla came into the station, Tyagi learned that she was a third-year law student at GLC and that she was living in a hostel in South Mumbai.
The radio jockey then tweeted, “Nikita is completely blind. Something her parents were not very excited about and wanted to get her married right after high school. When Nikita refused and insisted on studying further, she was asked to leave the house.”
Without money and without a home, Shukla had to then rely on the compassion of kind college friends and professors who helped her to make ends meet and to find a room in a hostel. According to Tyagi’s tweets, the hostel allowed Shukla twenty free dinners a month, and that was the only food Shukla had to live off of.
Tyagi’s tweets attracted a lot of attention and other people began to be touched and inspired by Shukla’s story.
“Nikita didn’t come to @radiocityindia to tell me her story. She just came to collect a prize, but agreed to go on the record when I asked,” Tyagi added.
A few days later, the radio jockey shared that she had received hundreds of text messages and phone calls from people who were interested in helping the college student. Shukla’s story had moved people so much that they started writing checks directly to her.
The radio jockey said that what touched her the most was that no one who called was cynical or suspicious. “Not ONE person asked for proof, not ONE person said, ‘But what if she runs away with my money?’ No, people just opened their hearts and gave.”
Tyagi went on to announce that Shukla’s Twitter supporters had raised enough money to provide her with three meals a day, cover her tuition, and pay her hostel fees.
Shukla’s story is a heartwarming one, but it is also a sad reminder of what some women have to sacrifice for an education. At least we know there is still good in the world and people who will help those just trying to better themselves.
Featured Image by Pictures of Money on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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