Purnima’s father is a daily wage labourer and her mother a homemaker.
Born in the outskirts of a small town in Lower Assam, Purnima’s father was a daily-wage labourer, and her mother a homemaker. Seeking employment opportunities they moved out to Guwahati when she was a little girl. She was not even three years old then! ” Both my parents are illiterate. Our home comprised of a single room with a leaking ceiling. We faced a lot of hardship, but despite that my parents always encouraged me and my brother to study.”

Her father’s income was just enough to see the family through till Purnima reached class 5 (five). He used to do odd jobs to earn money. “To make more money, he would help carry goods on the railway platform,” says Purnima’s mother. But as Purnima entered high school, her fees and the cost of books also increased. “It was getting very difficult to manage the cost of education along with the household expenses,” she says.

She passed class IX, but by then juggling her life as a student and doing odd jobs had taken a toll on her physically. She finally dropped out and started working to support the family.

Around 2013, Purnima came in contact with the Trustees of OREKA, who took her under their fold and motivated her to complete her Class X. In 2016, she enrolled herself after almost after 10 years gap!. Her determination and hard work paid off – Purnima scored a high 2nd Division in her class 10 exams in 2017.
“Suddenly I was famous in my family. Today I feel very happy and empowered”.