The True Essence Of Beauty

"Here's to the strong women. May we be them, may we know them and may we raise them." This is what struck me when I saw these girls at Save The Children, India.

Their lives revolved around each other. It is said that blood is thicker than water and we witnessed the same. The girls we met were previously trafficked and then rescued and put into shelter homes. And no matter what they have gone through, the smiles on their faces were wider than the perpetual flow of the ocean. They have each other and that is all they need. When we gave them hygiene kits, half-stitched cloth materials, jewellery making boxes and sewing kits, they taught us the true value of gratefulness.

​We are blessed with several things but, we never fail to grumble. They were satisfied with the little things they have. Majorly, we saw that if we have even one person to count on at the end of the day, we are more than blessed. However, some of us fail to realise that. These girls were strong and fierce and above all, supported each other. They dream and they don't fear to dream. And they're rigorously working towards that dream. They inspired each one of us to not only dream but, the motivation to work towards it. And truly, there is no force equal to a woman determined to rise from the ashes of a Phoenix. There is nothing more rare and beautiful than a woman unapologetically being herself and comfortable with her imperfections. That, is the true essence of beauty.

Leo Shaili Shah
Project Head of Save The Children India Project