Not a good-looking, short, average student, a girl who no boy looked at, is what all I was. I cannot think of any day that I thought I was beautiful back then when I was a teenager. Not my fault, at least not completely. First, the village famous photographer ruined any thought of me being something near to pretty as he said, “Nah you don't have a photogenic face, your sister, on the other hand, is tall and gorgeous. I can't take your pictures". So that day I believed I am ugly and never even looked at my face in the mirror before going to school. Then, many compared me with my sister in terms of those ideal beauty standards and made me feel the least worthy.

But I was never sad about my ugliness nor jealous of my gorgeous sister. Truly. Being just the tomboy I am, I did what my heart said. Have been naughty, playful, a pain in the wrong place, loving, less caring, rule-breaking, what not! Made my mom furious all the time with all the menace. People used to come home to tell on me, my mischief. The more she controlled me the more I went out of control.

When I say out of control, I was a village girl who doesn't agree to follow the standard "girl rules" in a village. I used to play with boys, climb trees, go cycling, never gave a damn about grooming like a pretty girl, even went to a mutton shop with my father. One might not find this very "out of control" stuff, but you haven't been in my village where I grew as a girl child. So, believe me.

Times changed. And I am glad. I was not even allowed to step out of my home after I started menstruating. All that playful girl I was, she became silent. Home and school were the only places I've been to. Oh and our relatives' homes in the city where I felt like a cow looking at them using elevators and speaking English and wearing those stylish clothes. Me, I knew no other language than my mother tongue, thanks to my English medium school where the subject "English" was taught in regional language. And yet, here I am after years, with a decent job leading an independent life. 

Hope you like the gist of my story and come back to know the journey from the ugly village girl to a confident independent woman. Thank you