My name is Punia Devi and I am 38 years old. I am a dalit and it's almost like a curse being a dalit in this life, I hope I wont be one in my next life. I work as an agricultural laborer when I can get some work. The upper caste exploits us and pays us whatever they feel like. I considered it as my fate till Sampat Devi came and educated us of our rights. I joined the gulabi gang instantly and vowed to educate the rest of the community of their rights. Not only is it a curse to be a dalit but also is even difficult being a woman. We women are always at the receiving end when it comes to exploitation. We are married off at an early age, and we are told that it's our fate to be with a man we had never met before. The husband exploits us all the time, expects us to be the slave of his. This needs to change, and the Gulabi Gang has achieved a lot here. The Gulabi Gang visits the various households and creates awareness and guides them on girl child education. One of the many motivating factors of being with the Gulabi gang is that I can make a difference and put stop to the exploitation. When I joined the gang, Sampat Devi gave us an introduction to what the role of the gang was. I spent a lot of time following Sampat Pal when she was visiting the villages creating awareness about education. Street plays are a popular medium for the gang to address the issue to a larger audience. . .To do what we do to promote girl child education is purely a free service. To do it well, we need support system in place. I don't have any means of travel; I cannot even afford to pay the bus fare so I end up walking the distance. The days I go and work for Gulabi Gang, I don't earn any money and have to depend on my husband's salary (if he gets work that day). Even though we have a tough life, my husband and my two daughters are very supportive of my contribution as a Gulabi Gang member.