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most of the girls in her village were married off, she was also
pressurised by her parents.

A marriage as early as that was the last thing on her mind. She
threatened her parents that she would never marry if she did not get a
proper education. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in
Delhi. When her parents refused to pay for her education, she politely
informed them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay
her school fees. Her parents then agreed to pay for her education.

the last thing: the least important thing
Politely: gently

For her, getting married was nowhere in the list. She wanted to get
proper education before getting married. Santosh left home and got
admission in a school in Delhi. Her parents refused to fund her studies
and she gently replied that she would herself fund her studies by
working part - time. Upon seeing her determination, the parents softened
their stand and agreed to pay for her education.

Wishing always to study “a bit more” and with her father slowly getting
used to her urge for more education, Santosh passed the high school
examinations and went to Jaipur. She joined Maharani College and got a
room in Kasturba Hostel. Santosh remembers, “Kasturba Hostel faced
the Aravalli Hills. I used to watch villagers from my room, going up the
hill and suddenly vanishing after a while. One day I decided to check it
out myself. I found nobody except a few mountaineers. I asked if I could
join them. To my pleasant surprise, they answered in the affirmative and
motivated me to take to climbing.”

Urge: strong desire
Check it out: find out the truth
Answered in the affirmative: gave a positive reply

Santosh wanted to be highly qualified and her father accepted her wish.
After passing high school, she joined to Maharani College at Jaipur and
stayed at the Kasturba hostel. The Aravalli hills were near the hostel.
Often she saw villagers climbing the hills and disappearing behind it.
She was curious to know what was beyond the hills and one day, she
decided to find out. Santosh found a few mountaineers who allowed her
to join them in their mountaineering expedition.

Then there was no looking back for this determined young girl. She
saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi‟s Nehru Institute of
Mountaineering. “My college semester in Jaipur was to end in April but it
ended on the nineteenth of May. And I was supposed to be in Uttarkashi
on the twenty-first. So, I did not go back home; instead, I headed straight