Katrina Kaif’s mother Suzanne Turquotte has been a great impact on her. “I have the most wonderful example for taking up social causes. My mother, who is a teacher, has always been involved in different charitable causes. She has been working with the amazing Mount View school in Madurai, where the teachers are all from the local community and are trained by her. That’s why I have been associated with a NGO — Educate Girls,” says Katrina.
The actress adds that the job of helping send girls to school is not an easy one. “You do get a lot of doors slammed on your face when you try changing mindsets. It is not about the tangible and physical resources. It is about changing mindsets of people. We do hear about it in metros, but it’s not the same in the interiors and rural India,” she adds.
The actress believes that education is the first step for girls, and says that when girls are educated, they can start thinking about what they want. “You have to let people know that these are the reasons why one should send their daughters to school. Knowledge is power, which brings self-confidence and a certain belief in oneself. Once educated, young girls know what they want. With education, young girls will not fall prey to child marriages and abusive relationships,” says Katrina.
“After seeing what Educate Girls was doing and the way they are targeting the issue of girls’ education, visiting communities and talking to them — it seemed like it is what I wanted to be a part of,” she says.
Katrina says that it is very rare that actors speak out on matters political or social. “When it comes to political matters, a lot of actors don’t feel the need to comment. Or they genuinely do not want to comment on anything political. There is a big difference in having an opinion at home and speaking about it on a public platform about a social cause. If, as an actor, I do not comment on something, it does not mean that I do not have an opinion,” she signs off.
— Sanskriti Media
