At 35, when Harpyari first held a pen and wrote her name it was a child-like scrawl. However, with it, she etched a lasting story of empowerment. Married at age five and unschooled, Harpyari now helps her own children with their homework. Harpyari is the end product of a non-governmental adult literacy programme. She lives in Dhamari village, Mewat district, carved out of the now urbane Gurgaon and Faridabad, but has none of the cosmopolitan markers. Her cracked, deep brown hands have held scythes, wet dung, firewood and hand pumps. When she was told she could learn to read and write with the help of a laptop, she grabbed the opportunity. For 30 days she devoted 80 minutes to the literacy programme and came away knowing the Hindi alphabets. Harpyari still goes about her chores the way she always has but her mind thinks differently.