Originally reported and written in February 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

Anaya Jethanandani’s schedule is unlike that of most kids her age. The Class 11 student of Bengaluru’s Indus International School describes her upcoming weekends as “hectic”, owing to the slew of workshops that she is set to host for women across the city in an attempt to make them adept at handling their finances. 

What propelled the 17-year-old in this direction? Witnessing an incident firsthand, she says. 

It all started in April 2021, when Anaya’s cook came to work one day in tears. 

“On probing why she was so upset, she said her husband was dominating her. He controlled her finances and what she did with the money, even though she was the only breadwinner in the family. She did not have any say,” says Anaya. 

She adds that to top this off, the husband wouldn’t set aside money for their two school-going sons, instead keeping all for himself and his alcoholic needs. 

This triggered Anaya, who says, “Coming from a privileged background, I have seen financial equality. Hearing this story was a cultural shock and I decided to do some research on the subject and speak to people who knew better.” 

FINWIN: A young girl’s attempt to bridge the gender gap in finance

When Anaya started off, she did it with the intent of simply helping women who were suppressed by their husbands and not adept at financial independence. 

“I was keen on getting insights from the lower........

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