14/05/2025
🔴“I wore a bindi to school… what happened next saved my life !”
Dec 1982.. My father was called to the principal’s office.
I stood there frowning, hands folded behind my back, head slightly tilted in defiance.
My principal ‘Mother Columbiere’ was furious
“Mr. Joglekar, this is a convent school.
Your daughter is not allowed to wear a bindi to school.
When I asked her to remove it, she had the audacity to say,
“It is a sacred symbol of my religion just as the cross is of yours.
I will remove my bindi🔴, if you remove the cross✝️you are wearing !”
Before she could say another word, my father burst out laughing…
“That’s my daughter” he said “ I am proud of her and so should you be…. We have here a little girl who is fiercely protecting her identity in the face of authority.
She has what it takes to stand up for what she believes in.”
“Her soul will not be doused by conformity or intimidation.
She will always rebel and rise. I am very proud of her!”
I lost him to a sudden cardiac arrest the following year…. And life took over…
I got married into a joint family where daughter-in-laws were expected to stay at home.
I did everything that was expected of me…
I was a good wife ,a responsible daughter-in-law, a good mother. But beneath all those roles… there was
A woman who silently cried and felt stuck and hopeless
A woman who served everyone — yet her own soul was parched.
A woman who did everything right on paper, but still felt a void.
Sounds familiar?
January 1998
There came a moment when I hit rock bottom.
I could take it no more
Life looked “fine” from the outside…
But inside, I was exhausted, invisible, and on the verge of collapse.
My energy was drained. My sense of self-worth? Non-existent.
I sat on the edge of my bed, a bottle of sleeping pills in my hand
And then, as tears streamed down my eyes, in that silence — I heard his voice:
“That’s my daughter. Her soul will not be doused by conformity or intimidation. She will always rebel and rise. I am proud of her!”
"Deepti. Rise."
That moment changed everything.
I decided that I was not going to be intimidated or defeated by life.
I spent the next few days in silent determination as I healed, empowered myself and reconnected with who I truly was…. Before life took over.
I chose to believe that I was being prepared, not punished.
And that belief gave me the courage to invest in myself, my growth — even when my bank account was crying.
Even when no one understood.
I took my own decisions.
I showed up — every single day.
Not for the world.
But for my father and the little girl inside me who still wanted to be seen… to live her life on her own terms.
There’s one truth I’ve learned — no one’s coming to save us.
The only person who can save you …. Is you yourself
And… when we save ourselves, we inspire everyone around us. Most importantly, We inspire our children. They grow up respecting us and looking up to us with pride.
That’s what personal growth is: Choosing your power over your patterns.
If you’ve ever felt invisible, exhausted, or broken…
💥 This story is your sign: CHOOSE YOU.
💬 Comment “RISE” if this moved you.
🔁 Share this. You might save a life.
