Being Married Isn't The Goal, Being Independent Is: Priti Vishwakarma

Priti Raman Vishwakarma was born into a family where people around her often taunted her family for having "too many daughters". Priti's father, however, expressed his pride in having daughters and raised them to become proud, independent individuals. From her diagnosis of epilepsy to facing life's challenges, Priti surpassed it all.

In this conversation with SheThePeople, Priti Raman Vishwakarma opened up about her epilepsy attack, how her feminist parents helped her fight through life independently, what makes her strong-headed, and more.

Priti Raman Vishwakarma Journey

“I was 16 when I got my first epilepsy attack. I fell on the floor. Everyone got really worried as we had no family history of epilepsy. After a thorough diagnosis it turned out that my condition was not curable but with regular medication and lifestyle changes the frequency of attacks could be controlled.

My Papa, though from an orthodox family, has always been a feminist by nature. As a mother of three daughters, my Mom has always been cursed by people. When I was born mother was scared and felt sorry that he could not give Papa a son. But, papa exclaimed with joy and said, ‘Pagli, apne ghar Ganga, Jamuna aur Saraswati aai hain!’ Papa has given us immense love. When the world told my parents that I should be married off, my dad stood his ground and said, ‘I want you to be an independent woman.’

I was 19 when I took my 1st solo trip to Triund. That was the first time I had lied to Maa and Papa; not because I was scared but because I did not want to scare them. But, that trip turned my life around. I was always warned by doctors and friends to stay in the house due to my condition so I perhaps wanted to prove to myself that I am not useless.

I was a bit scared to start my solo trip but I kept calm. Things were going smoothly when I left Mumbai but after that, I had a bus from Chandigarh which got delayed. I was scared when I was informed that the next bus was at 12.30 am and I had to wait for it alone on the roadside. But then, my eyes fell on a European woman who was calmly waiting for the bus. I thought to myself, ‘If she can do it in a foreign land, what am I scared of!’ I took the bus and travelled alone at night. That’s how my journey began. I told Papa once I was back home, but he did not scold me. Rather, they called up everyone and said, ‘Meri beti toh har kaam akele kar leti hai!’ I was filled with pride and confidence.

I started inviting solo women travellers and got a humongous response. I get a lot of backlash from people about how I will protect all these women alone! All I say is, ‘I may not, but together we will explore ourselves’... Today, I am a solo traveller and also a filmmaker. Maa Papa taught us right, being married is not our goal but being independent is.”

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