Once upon a time in Surat, under the soft glow of a streetlight, a few women sat cross-legged on the pavement. Not to gossip or pass time, but to learn.

They held pencils awkwardly, tracing letters on lined paper, their eyes wide with focus. The unusual classroom was led by 48-year-old Beena Kalathiya, who smiled gently, offering quiet words of encouragement to her students — most of them older than herself.

Beena’s journey into education didn’t begin in a university or a training institute. It began in the heart of her home. Like many women in India, she spent years juggling chores, raising children, and putting her family first. But when her children grew up and moved on, something shifted. With time on her hands and a mind full of........

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