Ria's journey with courage

Contributor: YA Team

‘I never thought I would have the strength to stand up for what I believed in’ says Ria Dantewadia a student pursuing Honors in History from Jesus and Mary College. Ria always wanted to have a better understanding of the society holding a special interest in the rights of women and human rights in general. This was the primary reason for Ria to join ONUS. She met new people during the course of the program, who had different backgrounds and lifestyles. Ria found it extremely heartwarming that people coming from all over the subcontinent could come together to be a group of like-minded people connected through a strong bond. 

During the second trimester of ONUS, Ria became a part of its campaign, ‘Five Days of Dignity’ which was a voice against menstrual taboos. Being a victim of these taboos herself, Ria learnt how to strongly empathize with many other women who suffer because of these superstitions. She also discovered a great strength in herself realizing she wasn’t alone. Ria, who never fathomed herself courageous enough to stand up for her rights and for justice, co-organized the campaign with full vigor and enthusiasm. Ria realized how crucial it is to spread awareness regarding social issues and to stand up for a better world. The experience of Five days of Dignity is extremely close to Ria’s heart. 

One year down the line, Ria can hardly believe how her life used to be. Neither did her life offer her an adventure nor did she have a thirst to learn something new. She was contented in the monotony of her mundane life and thought her life was all that she wanted it to be. ‘Life is about so much more than marks’, she now reflects. She has learnt to be more human from her various experiences. Earlier, she used to be short with people and impatient but now I know Ria to be one of the most sincere listeners I have come across. At ONUS, she witnessed how every person had a deep impact on her life. People were abreast of her interest in heritage and architecture and helped her along those lines selflessly and constantly. 

Now she has a zest to learn new things every day. ‘ONUS has been like sunshine in my life. It is one of the greatest things which has happened to me,’ she says while I can picture her smiling contentedly over the phone. She has learned the values of humility, empathy and sincerity by being around the mentors and seeing their way of life. She has earned friends for a lifetime here. Friends who understand her and friends she can confide in apart from having fun. She has grown as a person as she is learning how to embrace life as it comes and cherishing the fact that life is all about its experiences. Ria Dantewadia started a fight with ONUS. She took her step to change the world. And now nothing seems beyond her reach. 

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This story is compiled by Prachi Lohia, who herself was a ONUS 2014-15 participant. Applications for the next cohort of ONUS (Aug 2015- July 2016) will be live from July 4th, 2015. Know more here: http://youthallianceofindia.org/onus/