For both sisters Ananya and Sanjoli, it was a tough fight to raise their voices and step into activism. Today, these two sisters are a beacon of hope as they continue to spread awareness for female foeticide, mental health & menstrual hygiene, and education for all- among other causes. This is their story of Kindness and Compassion! Don’t forget to watch our exclusive podcast with the sisters by clicking here!
Ananya and Sanjoli are two sisters hailing from Karnal, Haryana and for them, kindness unfolded through educating the masses on very important societal aspects. Ananya is 20 years old and her sister Sanjoli is 25 years old. They are the co-founders of “Sushiksha” a free mobile school for kids in slum areas & in 4 cities across India. This zero expense weekend school has a curriculum focused on holistic education. Together, the sister duo also manage the NGO Sarthi- a nonprofit started by their father and another gentleman with over 650+ members in it.
It all began when a 5 year old Sanjoli (the elder out of the two sisters) witnessed her relatives and her family pressurizing her mother to abort the expected baby girl (Ananya). Despite the parents’ confrontation to their relatives and family, the latter found out in sex determination results as the baby to be a girl. Sanjoli’s parents did not want to abort, hence they went against the family’s will and welcomed another girl into their family, Ananya Banerjee!
Since childhood, Sanjoli and Ananya have been best friends with each other and it was Ananya’s birth that inspired her father to take up activism and speak for female rights in a regressive society. He started the first campaign in 2004 ‘Beti Bachao, Desh Bachao’. Sanjoli has been actively raising awareness for female foeticide in 2004, they then founded Sushiksha in 2019, Abhivyakti in 2020 and Project Buland in 2021, . The sisters took over the leadership of Sarthi in 2020. Ananya is one of the two directors of Sarthi with her sister & also founded Abhivyakti- the mental health initiative. .
In 2004, the Banerjee family conducted the first event to raise awareness. This gave way for Sanjoli and Ananya to organise rallies, awareness sessions and other engagement activities with the rural youth and children. At the age of 7, Sanjoli also received the Bal Puraskar for Excellence at Activism by the Government of Haryana.
When asked about what inspired these two, the sisters say in unison that it was their parents’ fighting spirit and their initiative to speak up against the societal evils that gave them inspiration all the way long. Ananya, instead of being a mere spectator, co- founded Sushiksha Initiative with Sanjoli in 2019 and joined more youth voices into the mission.
The inspiration for Sushiksha came after visiting a refugee school in Malaysia. Their father’s NGO Sarthi acted as an appropriate platform to strengthen their voices in other relevant issues like gender equality and empowerment & mental health.
The two sisters travelled across seven states of India in 2009, covering a distance of 4,800 kms as a part of their ‘Save Daughters, Save Earth’ mission. During this, they also screened a documentary ‘Earth in Flames’ and held seminars in schools and colleges, along with distributing pamphlets.
The duo currently spearheads 3 projects across 5 cities of India. They have organised several projects and missions along with organising awareness sessions and workshops over menstrual hygiene too. Through their campaign ‘Buland’, the volunteers have distributed over 6,600 sanitary pads to 1,800+ girls from low income private schools and slums in different cities.
The kind and compassionate efforts of these sisters were recognised through many accolades, some of them being featured by the United Nations and receiving the Diana Award for Social Action. At present, Sanjoli has moved back to India post her Masters and is working as a teacher, alongside leading her nonprofit, while Ananya is pursuing her degree in psychology, both from Australia.
In a world where female foeticide, mental health & empowerment are issues that are not only relevant but also escalating like a crisis, Kindness champions like Ananya and Sanjoli come as a ray of hope to make the world a better and brighter place.
Here’s to more champions like these Ananya & Sanjoli and an applause for all the efforts that they make to not only show activism but also prove that if we stand together with resilience against something, we shall surely succeed!
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