Now we find our happiness in our way

[Kaushalya Sumedh Agre]

I, Sharda Patil, have started exercising with other women in the village because Jayshree tai took my salt and constantly encouraged me. No one was willing to come to the village to teach exercise because if there was a group of 15 to 20 women, the trainer was willing to come. At that time, I was constantly meeting and talking to the women in the village and telling them the importance of exercise, so 15 women were ready. All women suffer physically due to weight gain, but women neglect their own health, but just as Jayashree encouraged me, I encouraged other women, and today, 10 of us women come together and exercise every morning.

 This has changed me a lot. Before I started exercising, my back used to hurt a lot. I couldn't even walk half a kilometre, but now I can easily walk 2 km without getting tired. Also, we 10 women have become very good friends since we came together. We talk to each other very openly, share our joys and sorrows, before, who would say what? I was thinking like that, but now it's not like that, now we do what we think is right. Earlier, we didn't express our views in front of the people at home, we used to keep things to ourselves, but now it's not like that. We explain our views to the people at home (mother-in-law, father-in-law, husband) and they are also gradually listening to us now.

Nowadays, we find happiness in small things, like when all of us women get together and go to a hotel for dinner, cook different dishes, and we all get together at someone's house and have a small party. Earlier, such thoughts never even crossed our minds, but now we have realized that finding our own happiness is in our own hands and we can also encourage others, so we are very happy now.