Thanga says: “We learned about girls’ rights at night school. I have two sisters who have to do everything at home. My parents treat us differently and I think that’s unfair. They shout at my sisters, but to me they just say ‘Go and rest or play’! This makes my sisters sad, so I help them anyway. I usually wash clothes or peel onions. That makes my eyes sting so much that it looks like I’m crying!”

When Thanga has children of his own he plans to treat his sons and daughters equally.
   “They’ll be able to go to school and they won’t have to do hard work. I’ll never let anyone give a daughter of mine poisoned milk. I’ll only let my daughters drink normal milk so they grow strong.”
   Thanga wants to be an engineer and build better houses for poor people.
   “The houses we have now are not stable, and they sometimes collapse. That’s dangerous, and it makes me angry.”