Kantamma Palaka, 18 worked in the fields until she saw an advertisement about the raining programme ina vernacular daily. She belpngs to Mogadhara village in the remote corner of Seetampet. "There was so much hesitation before I decided to enroll in the programme. I was not sure I would fit in since my ducation was all in vernacular medium and I was scared everyone would speak in English here," she recalls.

The English skills have taught Kantamma, who belongs to a Scheduled Tribe, a smattering of language, enough to communicate with the odd customer who visits the stores that she works for in Srikakulam. Her sister, Kamala Palaka, 19, saw a computer for the first time when she crossed the threshold of the PMRC. "My parents are innocent, they believe everything I tell them. And it is up to me to keep their faith," she says. She had planned to learn tailoring but is now confident sha can become a data entry operator anywhere.