By Sharanya Gopinathan
Today is one of those days when we’re feeling the world crashing down around us, inspiring us all to do dramatic things like asking atlases where it hurts and being told, everywhere. All of our social media timelines are filled with grief, shock and horror over the news of the brutal rapes of two girls from Kathua and Unnao, and no one seems to be able to fully come to grips with the fact that members of the ruling party and its affiliates seem to be doing all they can to protect the rapists. It is one of those bizarre days when everything feels unreal, so in keeping with that feeling, here’s an odd but uplifting story from Mussoorie.
Shekinah Mukhiya is an 11-year-old girl from Mussourie who entered a national music reality show and made it all the way to the finals. Her attendance at school consequently took a hit, and the powers that be at St Thomas College decided that they wouldn’t promote her from class 6 to class 7.
Mukhiya’s parents then approached the all-boys school where they work as teachers, Col Brown Cambridge School (also the alma mater of Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Bollywood star Raj Kapoor). Surprisingly, the school recognised her talent, and decided to make an exception in her case and bend the rules, granting her admission into class 7. She’ll be the only girl in the entire class and school, will wear pants like the other boys and have access to the toilet in the staff room.
Of course, the first line of The Times of India’s report on the matter reads, “the boys are ecstatic, the girl is relieved and there couldn’t have been a happier ending”. Not sure why TOI is so sure the boys are ecstatic or how exactly they reached that conclusion, but we are glad the girl is relieved and are grateful for the happy ending.