Teacher Kishan Kanwar, 32, has caused outrage in the rural village of Cheeri. India's ancient caste system may be officially banned, but it still lives on in hearts and minds. The tradition dictates that, as a member of the Rajput (upper) caste, Kanwar should never mix with those beneath her. Yet most of the girls in her after-dark classroom are "untouchables," members of the very lowest caste, whose destiny is to work the family land before marrying early into other households, often as child brides. Kanwar's choice of career is scandalous, but she remains deeply committed. Without her, these desperately poor students would never have the opportunity to learn. The secret covenant she has made with them is a hushed yet revolutionary force of change.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
-
Bitten Lips Took Center Stage at Dior Fall 2024 Show
Models at the Dior Fall 2024 show paired bitten lips with bare skin, a beauty trend that will take precedence this season.
By Deena Campbell Published
-
30 Spring Items That Solve My Expensive-Taste-on-a-Humble-Budget Dilemma
See every under-$300 spring item on my wish list.
By Natalie Gray Herder Published
-
Your Makeup Won't Budge With These Setting Sprays
Prepare for 12-hour wear.
By Sophia Vilensky Published
-
My Mom and I Share the Same Husband
A mother and daughter having sex with the same man may sound hard to believe, but it's a necessity for women in one Bangladeshi tribe. Not that they're thrilled about it.
By Abigail Haworth Published
-
10 Books Every 20-Something Should Read
Living on your own? Starting your first job? Now what?
By Sue Kang Published
-
The Modern Motherhood Conflict
In a controversial new book, firebrand French philosopher Elisabeth Badinter argues that modern motherhood is a throwback to the pastand has become a tyranny for women
By Pamela Druckerman Published
-
Confessions of A Real-Life Flight Attendant
Flirtatious pilots and sexcapades with passengers make the new show Pan Am seem positively professional.
By Jennifer Miller Published
-
The Accidental Sex Offender
It was a classic teenage love story. He was a football star, and she was a cheerleader. They met, they fell in love, they started having sex. And then the cops got involved. Fifteen years later, they're still paying the price.
By Abigail Pesta Published
-
Mexico's Female Drug Lords
When Estrella Hermila Ramos's gangster father was gunned down by the local drug cartel, she didn't mourn him—instead, she made a play for his turf.
By Monica Campbell Published
-
The Daughter of the Disappeared
When Victoria Donda learned that her supposed father was accused of being a notorious torturer in Argentina and that her true parents were political prisoners, she soon unraveled a web of family secrets and lies.
By Mei-Ling Hopgood Published
-
A Family Affair
It was horrifying enough when Melissa Tamplin's mother was savagely stabbed to death. But in her wildest dreams, she never guessed her own sibling was behind the murder.
By Amy Paturel Published