Seema Nagar: The Girl Who Repaired More Than Just Machines

I would have failed in my personal mission but for a young girl from Rajasthan.

Female foeticide had long left me aghast – our society was routinely snuffing out its daughters before birth. The numbers haunted me: at least 9 million baby girls were aborted due to sex-selection between 2000 and 2019. By 2011, India’s national child sex ratio hit a historic low of 918 girls per 1000 boys, with some regions sinking to around 834. In desperation, states even banned portable ultrasound machines to curb misuse.

But why blame the machine? The real issue was our mindset. To me, this was nothing short of a deadly social disease – one I was determined to fight head-on.

 

Meeting Seema Nagar

At the first opportunity, I decided to champion the girl child through a powerful story. A colleague told me about Seema Nagar, a young woman from Udaipuria village near Jaipur who was breaking barriers.

In our Samsung Technical School program, most girls opted for mobile repair courses. But Seema dared to enroll in AC and home appliance repair – the first girl ever to do so in Jaipur. Intrigued, we went to meet her.

And what a life she had led to reach that point. In a community where a daughter’s birth often wasn’t celebrated, Seema’s parents still gave her the same opportunities as her two brothers. Relatives taunted her ambitions, but she never stopped dreaming.

With grit and family support, she not only completed her technical training but topped the class. After a month of on-the-job training, she secured a job at a Samsung Service Centre in Jaipur – an unheard-of achievement for a girl from her village. Her next dream: to open a service center in her own village.

Seema Nagar was instantly my hero – a living example of perseverance and courage.

 

A Story That Needed to Be Told

 

I knew Seema’s journey could inspire countless others. So we commissioned a short CSR film capturing her trials, dreams, and the underlying issue of female foeticide.

Not everyone was comfortable with the idea. Some whispered about “toning it down.” But I wanted to take it on directly. This evil needed to be called out, not swept under the rug. With the government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) campaign gaining momentum nationwide, the timing felt right.

We poured our hearts into telling Seema’s story, hoping to add momentum to the Prime Minister’s efforts through her example.

 

When Dreams Became Bigger

The result was beyond our imagination.

The film went viral across India. Samsung’s digital campaign featuring Seema’s real-life story struck a deep chord. In just four weeks, it garnered over 80 million views on YouTube – making it one of the most watched advertising videos in India.

Importantly, a record 24 million women saw the video – the highest female viewership ever for an ad here. The hashtag #SapneHueBade (Dreams Become Bigger) became a rallying cry.

Seema’s tale of defying odds resonated with mothers and daughters, fathers and sons alike. She became an overnight icon. From Union ministers in Delhi to her own state’s Chief Minister, leaders felicitated Seema for her achievement. Media outlets celebrated her as a symbol of women’s empowerment.

What humbled me most, though, was the impact on ordinary people – the conversations in villages and towns, the fathers who pledged to encourage their daughters, the girls who looked at Seema and thought, “I can be like her.”

Shifting the Needle

 

As I sat in my office watching this wave of change, I reflected on the bigger picture. Had we moved the needle on the grim female foeticide problem?

In part, yes. Two years after BBBP’s launch in 2015, the government reported encouraging signs: 104 out of 161 districts in the program showed a rising sex ratio at birth. More pregnancies were being registered early. More girls were being delivered in hospitals. Fewer families were breaking the law to determine an unborn child’s sex.

It was just a start, but a much-needed one. After decades of decline, we were finally saving daughters.

Why Seema Still Inspires Me

 

For me, female foeticide remains Public Enemy #1 – a toxin our society must eradicate. But Seema Nagar’s story reinforced my faith that change is possible.

She turned her struggles into inspiration, and in doing so, lit a path for millions. Whenever I feel my mission falter, I think of Seema – the girl who refused to stay within the lines drawn by society, and in doing so, helped an entire nation reimagine what a daughter can achieve.

Her journey convinces me that if we educate, empower and believe in our girls, there is no dream out of reach.

India cannot afford to lose another daughter. Each time a girl like Seema finds her wings, it brings us one step closer to burying the heinous practice of female foeticide for good.

Unboxing Possibilities

 

At UNBOX, we believe every story like Seema’s is a reminder that true change begins when someone dares to cross the line society has drawn. Just as she unboxed her potential in a world that doubted her, our games are built to help children and adults unbox their own imagination, courage, and resilience. Whether it’s numbers, ideas, or life’s bigger battles, play has the power to unlock new possibilities.

Seema’s journey tells us that when we give every daughter and every child the tools to think, learn, and dream differently, we don’t just change their lives — we begin to change the world.