Supriya Mohapatra of Sabalkana Village in Mahanga Block of Cuttack used to do household chores from dawn till dusk at her in-laws house, in fact, until every member had gone to bed at the end of the day. Her in-laws always had some chore or the other to burden her with, and she would oblige. Meanwhile, she became a victim of domestic violence. Finally, she was divorced and came back to her parent’s place. The financial crisis of the family and the burden of a divorced daughter made her parents vulnerable. Being a Brahmin caste married lady, Supriya’s staying at parent’s house was not accepted by the community. She arrested herself in cornor of a room and stopped speaking to anyone. Gradually, she became mentally weak. Days became hard and her life became hail until she learnt about the Internet Saathi programme and decided to join it.

As part of the Internet Saathi programme, Surpirya was among a group of Saathi’s who were trained for using Android Phones for imparting digital literacy programme to rural women and efficiently collecting data as well as livelihoods information. During this time she has developed literacy and numeracy skills and gained confidence in using the mobile phone. After she became Internet Saathi, she got a chance to know about YouTube and other e-platforms for acquiring new skills on handlooms and handicrafts. Now, she is revamping her skills using the internet platform and has opened a learning centre. With the additional income, she is now heading the family burden and helping her family in household chores.

Supriya is now wellknown as Internet Didi in her cluster.  The programme gave her a scope to meet people and develop a rapport building with the community. She became the point of discussion in the community. She regained the dignity and respect which she had lost after her divorce. Supriya being a multi-talented and skilled worker earlier had no chance of transferring her skills for income. It was a great accomplishment for her when the community people changed their mindset and called her ‘Internet Didi’. A happy Supriya has come-up from her mental illness and leading her life independently.

During this Corona Pandemic lockdown, Supriya could reach hundreds of women of her community easily and help circulate the advisories through WhatsApp group. She played a critical role in organising  awareness campains on hand wash practices, social distancing and health and hygiene. She proved herself no less than a frontline worrier of Corona.