sashakt

DR REDDY’S FOUNDATION
sashakt
6-3-655/12, Somajiguda, Hyderabad-500082. | +91-40-65343424, 23304199 /1868
FAX: +91-40-23301085 | info@sashaktscholarship.org | www.drreddysfoundation.org
 the stem gap: how drf helps we do not exclude half our population we need to support our girls to
step up to the challenge and get admission in good colleges and not shy

background girls to cross that bridge away from STEM subjects in order to be able to compete with the best.

While more girls now attend school (thanks to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and
The last few decades have witnessed women steadily nudging their way It is well documented that one of the definitive ways of changing lives is the National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education)
forward to make a mark in business, politics, medicine, law, or sports. But by providing equitable access to education; and if we want to ensure education beyond schooling however continues to be stymied and too
these gains are in sharp contrast to the educational advances made by progressive change, then nothing can be more transformative than often there are several gaps which result in even brilliant girls from being
women in STEM studies and their contribution as scientists remain educating girls and encouraging them to participate in the economy. unable to join college. Without a doubt the financial status of the parent
minuscule. is a defining factor, but that apart, in our patriarchal culture frequently
According to McKinsey’s gender parity report published before the onset
several other compelling social and cultural skeins weave together to
With women accounting for almost half (48%) of India's population much of the pandemic, India could add a whopping $770 billion to the country’s
blur the educational prospect of young girls in this country.
has been said about the economic advantage that can be gained by GDP by 2025 by encouraging female labour-force participation in
ensuring the inclusion of women in the workforce to not just add to our quality jobs as a priority to boost economic growth. Unfortunately, the Ironically, most young girls today do want to study and be financially
GDP growth but also to empower them. And in an increasingly tech-led pandemic impacted women disproportionately and pushed the gender independent.
world these advantages could be magnified many fold if we could gap further thereby underlining the need for civil society and social
practitioners to pay increased attention to educating girls and enabling Thanks to access to net and social media, aspirations of young girls even
harness the talent of women and encourage them to contribute to this
young women to vie for quality jobs. from low-income groups have transformed dramatically and most girls
development through their research and knowledge inputs.
are keen to break away from poverty and drudgery. If they are unable to
But unfortunately, culturally our girls and women are instilled to prioritise Without a doubt Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics give wings to their dreams it is often only because they have no access to
household responsibilities and as a result are systematically dissuaded (STEM) fields will be the discipline for future “quality” jobs and to ensure resources and are totally dependent on their parents.
from studying science and maths on one pretext or the other largely
because it calls for an increased investment in terms of money and time
and many bright young girls who want to study are forced to cede to Key factors perpetuating gender STEM gaps
parental diktats because they have no other choice.

`
DRF’s Sashakt scholarship is a small e ort to tap into young
STEM fields are often viewed Because fewer women study Girls have fewer role models to Since a girl’s marriage
talent and encourage bright girls to study science and
as masculine, and teachers and work in STEM, these fields inspire their interest in these continues to be the end-goal
envision careers as scientists by providing them with Three years into this program and we are encouraged by the results
and parents often tend to perpetuate inflexible, fields, seeing limited examples for most parents, costing
financial assistance AND an individual mentor - a lead because in this short span, we have students from very disadvantaged or
underestimate girls’ math exclusionary, male-dominated of female scientists and implications - whether time or
remote settings, step up and finish their graduation with distinction and
woman scientist - who can motivate and help them to go forward to enrol at some of the best research centres like IISc, IIT and
abilities start as early as cultures that are not engineers in books, media and money - can be a key factor
navigate the challenges by citing themselves as good preschool. supportive of or attractive popular culture.
Central Universities. Not a single student dropped out despite the
to women .
examples. pandemic disrupting their studies.

1 gender stereotypes male-dominated cultures fewer role models cost implications 2

sashakt scholarship - a life line
Lekha’s story underlines how narrow the choices are when a girl is caught
in this situation. Lekha a bright girl, did her schooling in a
non-descript government school in Telangana, but she stood out
each year with her brilliant tally of marks and even managed to get a Dr.
Reddy’s scholarship while in school which helped her to cruise through her
intermediate studies. But post schooling, to study further was a
challenge. Lekha’s father did not contribute to the family’s income
and her mother preferred to spend her meagre earnings for her
son’s education.
It is in cases like this that the Sashakt scholarship is a life
line. Sashakt has a high bar. It o ers scholarships to study
science and candidates who want to apply for the
scholarship have to ensure they get admission in any
one of the listed 20 top science colleges in the
country; which is a steep ask, given the
competition and high cut o percentile
each year.
Excited by thought of being able to study further if she managed to
receive the scholarship, Lekha steered forward and cleared the
admission formalities and got enrolled in St. Francis College, an elite
college in Hyderabad to study B.Sc Maths. But for this hardworking girl,
the tests were the easy part. The arduous part was about having to pay
the admission fees as down payment to confirm her admission, which
was an imperative if she wanted to get the scholarship.
A visibly emotional Lekha narrates, “That was toughest day in
my life. While others were jumping with joy when they saw their
name on the list, I wept silently because I knew my family did
not have ` 40,000 as savings to pay for the admission fees.
The college refused to hold the seat unless I paid up within 24 hours.
So my mum, brother and I scrambled in di erent directions to borrow
money from relatives and friends. When we returned home, and counted
our collections, we still needed another 500. I then went house to house in
my neighbourhood asking for help. It was painful and humiliating, and
despite that we were still short of Rs 30 which my brother finally put
3 4
About Sashakt
together by collecting small coins to make up the final tally.
The Sashakt scholarship was started in 2018 with generous
She adds, “Till I got the first instalment from Sashakt in my account - donation from benevolent donors (check page no: 16) who wanted
to encourage girls to become scientists.
which was about a month after completing all the paperwork - I could
not sleep or face my neighbours. But once we tided that bottleneck, I was Each scholar is given a generous amount to ensure all her fees and
good and I will always bless the donors for having helped me to become hostel expenses are met in addition to some extra money to cover
a graduate.” for books, extra classes and other sundry expenses till she
completes her graduation studies.
Lekha completed her graduation in May 2021 and within weeks she got
A lead woman scientist mentors the scholars. Apart from guiding
an o er to join Cognizant. “I intend to work and save so that I can study
them in making informed education/career choices, the mentors
further but for now, I know my dark days are behind me since I can now
also help the girls navigate challenges.
pay for my post-graduation studies.”
Financial limitations are not the only
challenges that our young girls
from di cult settings have
to confront with.
In our patriarchal and conservative society even
bright girls are taught from a young age to not to aspire for
careers that will distract them from their main goal which is
to get married and be a housewife. In the most ‘liberal’
setting, all they can hope is to become teachers!
Helping to break the mould
Praveena's father was a controlling parent and she grew up fearing his
mood swings and extreme violence. But that did not stop this brilliant girl
from studying till she hit a road block when she asked permission to join
college. He was adamant that she study privately or enrol for a distance
education course to save costs.
Finally he “allowed” her to do her graduation after her mother pleaded
her case for several days and only after managing to validate her
graduation as leverage for the family to negotiate for a lesser dowry at
the time of her marriage! And the permission came with a clause. He was
not going to pay for it!
Praveena says she was not disappointed with his response and
elaborates, “since I was a good student, my teachers were
supportive and one of them told me about the
Sashakt scholarship and how to apply for it. I
was therefore banking on this option instead
of depending on my father to pay for my
studies. I only wanted his permission to
study further because otherwise he
would have objected even to my leaving
the house.”
Praveena was not surprised when
she saw her name on the admission
l i st fo r B. S c a t B a n g a l o re’s
prestigious Christ University. But
she worried about how she
would be able to pay the
admission fees without her
father’s support.
Why we provide Mentors
This scholarship apart from providing financial assistance supports each
girl with a one mentor for individual guidance and handholding.
Since most of the girls are first generation learners and have no one in their
family to advice or motivate them, the provision of a mentor gives them the
much needed guidance and confidence to steer ahead. Each of our
mentors are well established senior woman scientists, and we believe since
they have traversed this road they are able to understand and sometimes
even anticipate the roadblocks to support the mentee in her journey to
discover herself.
All the girls confirmed that their mentors were a big support and the go-to
person not just for academic guidance but also for advice about career
guidance and study options.
While Sashakt refunds this small expense too, the challenge for many
girls is to make even this initial payment to get their admission
confirmation slip which is required to make them eligible for the Sashakt
scholarship. Like many other Sashakt scholars, she too had to borrow the
money from her teachers and neighbours to pay the admission fees.
Praveena narrates “the first instalment from Sashakt allowed me to
breathe! I knew I could now live and have some control
over my life.” And adds “the fact that I was
‘allowed’ to go to college was a liberating
experience, because all my school
5 6
years I had to hide from my father and study as he would beat me or tear
my books.
Actually, I realised early that he was averse to my studying - probably
because he had not completed his schooling and was also without a
regular job – which all the more made it vital that I focused on my studies
to get a job to get a better life.”
Praveena’s story is not too di erent from many of our other girls who have
limited choices and little control over their own lives, but what stood out
was despite her brilliant academic records and determination to study
more, her aspirations, in stark contrast were ambiguous. On being
probed, the fear and futility of dreaming of anything beyond what was
“permitted” by her family was evident and she looked
down to hide her emotions; and
instead it was her mother who
answered for her and said she
will become a school
teacher so that she
can manage her work and home without too many problems! The fact is
that these brilliant girls have even their dreams capped and it took our
team and her mentor several months to teach her to dare to dream big
and to live her dreams.
It was reassuring to note that Praveena is on track and has enrolled for
M.Sc in Maths with a clear intent of doing PhD after that. She recently
completed her second semester and has distinctly evolved into a
confident young woman who knows how to find
her way forward. She clarified “Sashakt
scholarship was an enabler because now I
have gotten over that initial fear and
confusion of what to do and how to do it
etc. For example, I am taking tuitions for
kids in school thrice a week to pay for
my PG studies.” But what was even
more encouraging was the poise
with which she articulated her plans
fo r t h e
future which included being a Mathematics
lecturer and to continue with research while
teaching. She is preparing for the NET and is
confident she will clear it. While it was clear that
she found a way to knit her aspiration with her
parents’ aim of her being a teacher; it is also a mute
testimony of how fettered our young girls are and
how they have to weave between these limitations
and which would have definitely not been possible if
this scholarship was not available for them.
Forging new paths
Simran is a case in point how the scholarship enabled her to pry open a whole new world.
This young woman on graduating from Hindu College at Delhi University as a Sashakt
scholar is now doing her post-graduation at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
Certainly not a small achievement by any stretch but when you take Simran’s background
into consideration, this certainly is an enormous feat.
Without a doubt she was a brilliant student, but coming from a non-descript village and a
conservative Jat community in Haryana, the best she could have hoped for was an
opportunity to graduate from a local college, enrol for teacher’s training course and
become a maths teacher before her family got her married to someone of their choice.
But Sashakt gave her the chance to join one of the country’s best science colleges
(Miranda House, Delhi University) and with the support of her mentor, her aspiration to do
research in organic chemistry got sparked and she managed to keep her eye on the goal
and scout for every opportunity to study further.
Says Simran, “despite getting 100% in Chemistry for my Board Examinations my joining
Delhi University’s was not a forgone conclusion. It was possible only
because I got the Sashakt scholarship which assured would
cover all expenses till I finished my graduation.
I realised, my father felt his prime responsibility was to save for my
marriage and therefore any additional expense for studying could not be
accommodated.”
The eldest of three kids, Simran found Chemistry fascinating and admits
that she can spend hours studying it without getting tired. But
her doing research or even enrolling for PG was not in
line with her family’s intent about her
future.
Why we give scholarships at the under grad level?
Sashakt is a scholarship o ered to school leaving students to enable them to
enrol for graduation studies in STEM studies. While the scholarship was
established to encourage women in science; the decision to give it to students
who are on the threshold of college studies was taken after a lot of deliberation.
Our survey highlighted that young girls from economically marginalised
families have very limited options to study beyond school. When
monetary circumstances force parents to prioritise education for
their children, parents tend to support the son’s education over
their daughter’s studies thereby forcing the girls to make the
best of their circumstances.
Therefore this scholarship at this crucial juncture in their
academic journey helps bright girls to study in the best
colleges in the country and gain not only academically
but also get an exposure to a whole new world and
the confidence to navigate their life and explore
opportunities for post-graduation from
there on.

“Finally it was the same

Chemistry teacher from my school who got me hooked to this
subject, who persuaded my father to allow me to join IISc by citing the
stipend availability to complete the studies.

While funding was the decisive key, Simran’s parting shot about her parent’s reaction to her
achievement “my family’s first reaction to this news sadly was about my marriage being delayed”
(this course is a five year MSc-PhD course) not only summarises how life has changed for her but also
juxtaposes how far she has come in her journey.

7 8
Falling through the gaps
Despite all the hard work by the girl and the mentor’s perseverance to
ensure the student stays on track, sometime even our best e ort fail to
sustain the intent, which is to support young girls to carve careers for
themselves in line with their aspirations.
Preeti Talla, the Delhi University Maths (Hons) student who stood
apart from her class mates, for her excitement to rush to
attend the Prime Analysis class every time was thanking her
fate constantly for her being able to study at Miranda
House in Delhi University. She knew this was her spring
board to a whole new world and she was ready to
take that leap.
9 10
But then the pandemic put a stop to those dreams. The University
closed down and she was back in her village doing all the things which
she thought she had managed to escape, which included working as a
daily wage worker to ensure they had something to eat.
With some added e orts from her mentor and the Sashakt team, she
managed to study online and to her credit complete her
graduation. But staying at home sucked her right back
into the socio-cultural vortex of her community’s
traditions and practice of early marriage. Despite
her protests, she is now engaged to be married
to a person who works as a linesman in the
electricity department and does not see any
scope for studying further.
And sometimes, sets you
on a new journey
Robia Kshetrimayum is from Imphal – or Imphal East to be precise – and unlike other
Shashakt students, faced no opposition at home to study. In fact the family was
despondent that they could not send their youngest child to study outside Imphal as
there were very limited options for further studies in their home town and most bright
children went to other cities for college studies.
Robia’s older sister was studying nursing in Bangalore and her elder brother was doing
MSc in agronomy in Dehradun and therefore her father who retired as a hockey coach
and her mother who worked as a local weaver found the financial situation a bit tight to
send their youngest child to college.
But that did not deter Robia. She managed to get admission to Delhi University’s
Miranda House and also bag the Sashakt Scholarship.
While doing B. Sc in Miranda, the scholarship gave her financial bandwidth to sign up
for two additional courses – one on Biotechnology
and the other, a course on Green Skill
11
Development. Says Robia “I have to confess this course changed my life. My initial plan
was to do research in Chemistry on completing graduation, but now I am very keen
to do environmental science and encouraged by my mentor Dr. Gaiti Hasan from
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. I am now scanning for opportunities to
study and do research to understand climate change.
Robia is so consumed by this new found passion she is attending coaching
to prepare for TIFR examination by taking tuitions for school children.
Says Anu Liza Thomas, Sashakt’s Program Head, “We try our best to
include girls from all over the country and it is encouraging to see how
each of these girls managed to use this opportunity to find their
niche. The fact is while these young girls might be from small
towns or look timid, they are determined to succeed
and make the best of every opportunity”
12

Girls are scouting for
opportunities
While implicit bias might be a major reason for women
constituting just 14% of the total 280,000 scientists,
engineers and technologists in research development
institutions in India (according to the United Nations);
youngsters, especially ‘Gen Z’ are raring to disrupt
negative stereotypes and challenge social and
environmental factors; and if the number of applications
that we receive each year is any kind of indicator then
brilliant girls especially from lower middle class families or
low income groups are scanning for new opportunities.
And while several studies have been done and most
agree or conclude that ‘Encouraging more girls and
women to enter these vital fields will require careful
attention to the environment in our classrooms and
workplaces and throughout our culture ’ the reality is
that one of the major obstacles for the low enrolment of
girls studying science in colleges is the cost in terms of
time and money which can be a major burden if not a
deterrent if the girl is from a low income family.
Adds Anu, “when I review their applications, their need is
so palpable. Every girl who applies for the Sashakt
scholarship, has already made it to one of the top
colleges in the country. They push to complete the
college admission formalities against many odds
including their parents’ opposition. So
refusing them is very painful as it is
evident that every applicant has a lot at
stake as their hopes and aspirations are
pegged on this scholarship. The reality is
that there are so many bright and
deserving girls who are in need of support,
but with our present funding there is only
this much we can do. We could sponsor
many more girls with potential, if more
partners came forward to join us in this
mission to ensure girls like Swati do not get
left out.”
Swati is an ambitious, hardworking and bright
girl. Her scores were impressive enough to get
her admission in Hindu College in Delhi
University to study maths.
Swati’s mother works as a helper in a school and
her father, at the time of her applying for the
scholarship was paralysed and could not work. But
he was so keen for his daughter to study that he
promised her that he would pledge his auto and take
a loan if needed to ensure she completed her studies.
13
So in her scholarship application, in an answer to a
question about whether she would be able to study
should she not get the scholarship - she stated she
would still be able to continue studying as her father
would pay for her fees. Since her case did not seem so
dire, her application was given the miss.
But shortly after that, her father got ill and passed away.
And the family incurred huge debts because of her
father’s medical bills and her studies.
She recants in a flat tone, “Delhi is very expensive and I
could not a ord the hostel fees. So I shared a room in a
PG and barely managed to hold on. In one way the
pandemic was a blessing because I could return home
and complete the course online thus saving the
additional expense of staying in Delhi.”
She has now completed her
graduation and while she is
happy that she fulfilled
her father’s wish, she
also feels guilty about adding to mother’s burdens and is
frantically looking for a job so that she can help her
mother and brother to repay some of the loans.
On being asked about her plans to do post-
graduation and research, she answered “I need to
earn now and therefore cannot think of going
back to studies. I must first repay the loans and
then if I manage to save some money I might
join some coaching to prepare for the civil
services so that a job is assured.”
The fact is there are many more Swatis.
All of them deserving and eager to
study, do research. And while we
cannot be sure about them
winning the Nobel Prize, we
can be confident that they
could still contribute to
the country’s economy
and progress.
14
the power of partnership
Sashakt Scholarship has been made possible due to foresight and
generosity of a couple.(See box below). A total of 61 girls have benefitted.
More than 65% Sashakt scholars are from rural background including a
few from remote areas of India. More than 90% of our students have an
annual family income of less than ` two lakhs and the remaining do not
exceed an income of three lakhs. Our scholars represent 11 states/ UT of
India and apart from their socio-economic status, we identify girls with
an interest in research careers. This is to encourage them to opt for career
in science despite their di cult circumstances.
Out of the 20 from the batch of 2018-19, more than 60% have enrolled
for a Masters program. And some have made us proud by making it to
esteemed institutes like the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology in
Trivandrum, Delhi University, IIT-BHU and IISc in Bangalore. While some
got scholarships, others have taken education loans for higher studies.
But they are all well on their journey.
We also noted the pandemic has been a dampener on girls’ education
because this year the number of applicants is not in line with our previous
year’s record. Thereby underlining that girls’ education is often seen as a
dispensable agenda especially in economically weak communities, and
we need to partner together to address this disparity
the sashakt story
Sashakt was made possible because of the generosity and
encouragement of a visionary couple - Radha & Viswanathan
Sasisekharan, who have both dedicated their lives to the advancement
of education and science in India.
According to them “ Education must not be viewed as a privilege, but a
right for everyone, especially women who often do not have the same
opportunities as men. Radha and I feel this is an area that our Indian
society specifically should pay attention to."
Viswanathan Sasisekharan is a world-renowned Biophysicist and is
known for his pioneering contributions to the structures of biopolymers.
Sasisekharan was a Professor at the Indian Institute of Science for several
decades. Among the numerous national and international awards
received by him is the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of
India’s highest science awards, in 1977, for his contributions to the
biological sciences. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Princeton
University and an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San
Francisco. Apart from mentoring scores of graduate students at the
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, he was the Chairman of the
Molecular Biophysics Unit as well as Division Chairman of Chemical and

61 60 90 60
Biological Sciences at the institute.

Radha Sasisekharan has been a motivating and driving force behind the
education of many children and young adults, including those from under
privileged backgrounds. Her support has gone far beyond financial

% % % assistance, as an active mentor to many. As a strong believer in women’s

empowerment, she has championed the careers of many young women.

They conclude “through this scholarship, we not only hope to help

dr viswanathan sasisekharan budding women scientists achieve their dreams, but also bring together
women role models and mentors to catalyse this process.”

girls have benefitted from of Sashakt scholars are from of our students have an annual have enrolled for a Masters
Sashakt Scholarship. rural background including a few family income of less than program, out of the 20 from the
from remote areas of India. ` two lakhs batch of 2018-19.

15 16
 sashakt scholarship updates
To encourage girls to study and research in STEM subjects, DRF’s Sashakt program supports meritorious girls from
economically weak sections with scholarships as well as a mentor to do B.Sc. Sixty one meritorious girls were
selected and each one is supported with a senior woman scientist as a mentor. The girls are studying in the top 10
If you would like to know more and partner with us to support a
colleges in India and are faring well academically.

20 21 20
Sashakt scholar as a donor or a mentor, do reach out to give a bright
girl a chance in life.

You can sponsor a girl’s education for three years for

` 3 lakhs. This would cover the costs for her three-year
graduation studies in one of the best colleges.

Join us to sponsor bright and deserving girls to achieve

STUDENTS FROM STUDENTS FROM STUDENTS FROM
their dreams and help the country to progress.
12 COLLEGES 10 COLLEGES 10 COLLEGES

If you are a woman scientist and want to extend mentorship support to Batch 1 Batch 2 Batch 3
young minds or know someone who can mentor, please do get in touch! (2018-19) (2019-20) (2020-21)
The scholars are from The scholars are from
Come experience the joy and power of partnerships. 10 di erent states 11 di erent states

Please contact:
• 50% students hail from rural areas
Email : info@sashaktscholarship.org
• 75% students have family income less than Rs One Lakh/annum
Phone : +91 99660 03288
• 75% students are first generation college goers

• 75% students had more than 90% marks in XII and all have secured more than 85%.

• Most received merit-based scholarship that subsidized their school education.

17 18