India’s Daughters Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
The Interpreter | INDIA’S DAUGHTERS
Chapter 6: Struggle and Hope
Arti passed every test for her government job but still faced disappointment and a new set of challenges.
Arti Kumari opted to study to retake India’s government job exam, this time with a newborn to care for. Credit...Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times
The Interpreter | INDIA’S DAUGHTERS
Chapter 6: Struggle and Hope
Arti passed every test for her government job but still faced disappointment and a new set of challenges.
Arti Kumari opted to study to retake India’s government job exam, this time with a newborn to care for.Credit...Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times
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By Emily Schmall, Amanda Taub and Shalini Venugopal Bhagat
Photographs by Andrea Bruce and Saumya Khandelwal
Nov. 25, 2023
There are moments in life that stick in memory as a fulcrum between before and after.
Arti Kumari’s came on a morning a few months after her wedding, when she took her place on the starting line for her physical exam to qualify for a government security job — running a mile in seven minutes or less. It was the culmination of months of early-morning training sessions and years of study.
Her mother, Meena, waited anxiously outside the recruitment center. Rohit, Arti’s new husband, was with her, his presence a tangible sign of his support.
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Emily Schmall is a correspondent for The Times. More about Emily Schmall
Shalini Venugopal Bhagat joined the South Asia bureau of The New York Times in 2014. Prior to this, she was a writer and producer for news features and documentaries for over 10 years. More about Shalini Venugopal Bhagat
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