Never have I felt before, what I have just experienced. Spending a day with someone, who is about to be a legend, a story waiting to be written.
I hope to be the first one to acknowledge it.
Six years back, when I first met Aunty, Nirmala Singh, Wife of late Dr. Surjan Singh, a leading scientist with the Indian govt. she seemed to be an ordinary middle age, Delhi women, well to do, who in the memory of her late husband wished to do something useful for the village he belonged to and with her life.
Over dinner we discussed her vision, to which, then, frankly I was a little skeptic of its long term survival. In my own enthusiasm of free thinking and belief in complexity of things suggested many a things, that surely would have taken her initiative another way, more towards doom.
And, thus with this skeptic attitude, though, I was around the initiative, it was more for the socialite cause than the social cause.
Adharshila, a school for children, who otherwise, would never enroll in a school, In a remote village called Kohra, near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This “remote” comes from a person, himself, living in a dusty village of Bihar. Kohra is seriously remote.
A sixty km. journey takes 2 hrs. Roads that would put craters to shame, undulating fields, no irrigation facility, one crop a year, perhaps cattle fodder or sugarcane, of course no electricity or clean drinking water, govt. run schools, which runs only on the rolls. People still cook food on wood fire, and you can see the tiniest of stars on a dark night and perhaps the whole village would know who snores, it’s so silent, you can still get a sumptuous meal for Rupees ten, I am ashamed; my village can’t boast such niceties.
Aunty, waited late at midnight, in that very silence for her chief guest to be by default, that’s me, she was disappointed, to have me alone, as others were unable to come due to cancellation of trains. But then she had an important day ahead, as long as she had a decoy, the enthusiasm of the staff and kids would not dampen all that bad.
She was busy right from day break to midnight the next day, it was the sixth annual function of Adharshila, on the birthday of her late husband who had envisioned such a dream, which aunty set out to accomplish.
Every nitty gritty was personally attended to, with grace and composure, which would put the best organizer to shame. Of some 250 students, at least half of them would have participated in the programs; an eight year old master of ceremonies in somewhat impeccable English went on introducing the programs, skits and plays with morals woven around, songs and anthems, speeches and jokes. There wasn’t a moment when the audience was lost.
Aunty had known each one of them, all the programs must have been rehearsed many a times, as I could see her lisping with the kids. As the day ended, and till the last kid did reach home, she was attending the parents.
In that pitch dark night as we sat by the fire of the kitchen having dinner, the warmth around the family was more than that fire. I couldn’t help noticing her swelled feet, the day had taken its toll on her health, she must be in her seventies and 90 kg plus, all that walking and flights of stairs was not something one can pursue as career for long.
“This was winters, how do you manage the summers?” I couldn’t help asking, this kitchen fire would be a bane then, and the dusty open roads in this barren field would be too much, the rains still would bring in slush and mud! Wondering, if she had some backup, from this, too much of reality. Even a villager like me, could not accept the fact that someone would do this out of sheer choice.
“Hah! Been there, done that” that’s all she had to say! The smile on her face said everything, “you guys have responsibilities, and do it well!” I didn’t know what to make of it! Here was a women, who has traveled the world, owned houses in the metro’s , have a very well settled lineage, a big family and she chooses to come and spend rest of her life in the village of late husband. Where basic necessities of life need to be struggled for everyday, when health and security should be a normal human beings priority, she goes on wiping the noses of toddlers.
While serving hot rotis’s right from the fire, she says “wish I could serve you some good Chinese food here, but then you guys always get that opportunity, try some of this today” after a pause, she goes on in a soft voice, “kids, even us, used to spend so much of money over frivolous things, a Chinese dinner would cost you five thousand or something, how I wish, people could spare that money for Adharshila”
Well Aunty, here’s a promise I make to myself, every time, I would have Chinese, I would save the bill, and write a cheque of a similar amount to Adharshila!
let me call it, "chopsticks for adharshila"
Don’t know if that could be a little contribution, I could do to change the lives of those you have devoted your life to, but it sure is meant to provide a whiff of fresh air to your spirit, a small initiative, tiny in comparison to your purpose, but perhaps, we could find a few similar and many addicts to ajinomoto!
You are an inspiration, I am proud to have known, how I hope I could dare to walk a few similar steps.
