K atti doesn't seem to have struck a lot of bonds outside of her circle. Her closest friend is Kavita Hosmane, her biological father's daughter from his marriage. "We were best friends for the longest time before we knew (we were half-sisters)," she says.

Chaurasiya tells me the day Katti learnt Kavita was related to her, she was on the top of the world. The fact that Ravinder Katti wasn't her father didn't bother her at all.

School wasn't very pleasant; Katti spent a lot of time chasing away bullies who calld her names that cannot be printed. Though college was relatively quieter, it was also lonelier.

During her stint at SNDT College, from where she completed her Grade 11 and 12, Katti tells me she rarely ever attended classes. She'd spend her time on the campus strolling along corridors or sitting under trees and reading books.

Sure, she made acquaintances (or 'hi-bye friends' as she likes to call them), but the scars from her past, the abuse from her father and the name-calling by her classmates, had put her off interacting with anyone.

Then, of course, there is always the matter of where she comes from.

Chaurasiya tells me she doesn't necessarily open up about her past with everyone. "There are some places she feels safe, like in the NGO circles where she knows people won't (openly) judge her. But in other places like in the building we live in, she wouldn't ever let anyone in on her past."

The reactions have been varied. Most of them, Katti says, are 'okay with it' (though she isn't able to explain the term very well).

Again, Chaurasiya articulates it best: "When people read about her (going to the US), they don't see it as her achievement. They seem to think she just got lucky. When we requested our neighbours to give her references for her passport, none of them came forward. It was almost as if they felt 'why should she get the opportunity when my child can't?"

***

Katti says she has always wanted to go to the US "for as long as I remember".

As I try to understand her obsession with foreign education, Chaurasiya explains it probably has something to do with the fact that most of the good things that have happened to her have been because of foreigners.

"A large part of the reason why her education has been sorted is because of a British social worker who ran a programme for English learning and computer education," she explains.

The US trip has done wonders for Katti's confidence. She's been facing journalists and camerapersons all by herself and, says Chaurasiya, been doing a fantastic job. She's been telling them she hopes to return and work with sex workers.

I ask Chaurasiya if she believes Katti will return.

"I cannot say," she responds after a brief pause. "I don't think she will return immediately because giving her mother a comfortable life is her priority right now.

"She may take up a job and make money for a while, but I have a feeling she will probably return in the long run.

"Having said that, I don't see anything wrong if she doesn't return. Everyone has a choice of making what they want to of their lives."

***

At the end of our interview in the coffee shop, I was witness to a poignant moment.

Robin Chaurasiya and Katie Pollum were in the midst of a serious discussion about Kranti's future.

Pollum explained to me that they were working on criteria that will help them select the next girl and not stretch their resources.

Shweta Katti had been listening in intently and offering occasional suggestions.

Days later, I ask Chaurasiya if she remembers what was going on in her mind at the time.

She confesses she's had it easy with Katti, who has an educated opinion and views about life that few other girls from her background and age do.

"(That evening) I couldn't help wonder how long it'd take for some of our other girls to reach that level of understanding and maturity."