NEW DELHI: Tasmida, a 21-year-old Rohingya woman who has been living here since 2012, feels the women in her community “have potential but are victims of stereotypes”. She wishes to be an inspiration for them by becoming the first Rohingya woman in India to go to college. With help from Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (ROHRIngya), an organisation that is working for the welfare of the community in India, Tasmida has requested Jamia Millia Islamia University to facilitate her admission in a political science or law course, and grant her a scholarship.
“I want to become an inspiration for all the Rohingya girls, who are bound by stereotypes that hamper them from having a fruitful future,” Tasmida told this newspaper. “There is a perception that a Rohingya cannot go beyond certain boundaries. I wish to break this stereotype,” she stressed. She complained that women of her community, owing to the crisis back in their home in Myanmar, “lack opportunities”. “They have potential. If given a chance, they can do well for themselves,” she said.
Tasmida lives with her family in a refugee camp in Kanchan Kunj, where her parents run a small grocery shop. She has given her exams for Class 12 at Jamia Middle School. She completed her secondary education from National Institute of Open Schooling in 2017, which according to ROHRIngya, made her the first girl from her community to complete Class 10 exams in India.
In the letter written to the university, the organisation has asked if there are “any scholarships dedicated to refugee communities in India, or whether there can be any for the next academic session”.A volunteer from the organisation said that Tasmida is their potential woman representative in the country.“Many parents in the community are inspired by her. They are enrolling their girls in schools,” he said.