Changemaker from Gadag village appears in short film

HUBBALLI: A 24-year-old woman from Kurugovinakoppa, a village in Nargund taluk of Gadag district, has been featured in New Realities Virtual Reality film series by Lenovo.
Ashwini Doddalingappanavarappeared in the 8.33 minute video, earning herself the distinction of being among 10 such women from 10 countries to be featured.
New Realities is a film series showing “the exciting journey” of 10 young women.
The description of Ashwini’s video says: “Despite the lack of opportunities for young women in rural India, Ashwini works full time, transforming children’s technological education in villages like her own.”
Video was shot by her
The video on YouTube has 2,50,195 views so far. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film was entirely shot by me,” said Ashwini.
Recalling her journey, she said after graduating in BA from a college in Nargund, she remained jobless for six months. Through a friend, she came to know about Deshpande Foundation (Hubballi), where enrolled for Deshpande Susandhi Fellowship. She later underwent training for two months, learnt English, computers and familiarised herself in using social media platforms.
She worked at Meghshala Trust in Hubballi for a year and moved to Bengaluru to work for the same trust. She is an implementation associate there, helping government schools adapt to smart ways of learning.
“In rural parts of India, parents do not allow girls to chase their dreams — most of them wait for their daughters to complete SSLC/PU or graduation, only to marry them off. But I resisted this and joined work by upskilling myself. The film encapsulates my journey,” she said.