Saroj Paraste is the Sarpanch (Village Head) of her own village, and of 69 more. She credits her role as a Community Correspondent in enabling her to reach this significant leadership position. People came to respect and depend on her her for the wide-ranging knowledge she had gained as a journalist. The fact that the villagers and other government officials…

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In late 2012, IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent Saroj Paraste met Bhavani, a physically challenged girl from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Saroj was immediately inspired and surprised by this young girl’s strength and her attitude towards life.

She spent over a week with her for a photography assignment she was doing as a part of the VV-Magnum workshop and made this video in that time.

Bhavani was hesitant to be filmed or photographed, so for the 1st few days, Saroj put away her camera and concentrated on getting to know the girl and convince her that Saroj would use the projects to inspire other young people who faced challenges on a daily basis.

Bhavani was born without hands. While most people would consider it a burden, she learnt how to overcome her weaknesses and turn them into strengths. She wants to pursue engineering as a career. A young, bright kid with all the support from her family is full of spirit and positive attitude towards life.

See here for photos: http://www.communityphotographers.blogspot.in/p/saroj-paraste.html