She was waiting for this day for a long time. Most people
live one-third of their lives in 25 years so it is not a short duration by any
stretch of imagination. If we assume 75 years as the life span of a human being
and split it into three phases, 25-50 (the second phase) would be the years
when they find their calling, do something worthwhile and make an identity.
She was no different. From her teenage years, she used to
teach students to make ends meet. However, it was not just a source of income.
For her, the “joy” of enabling children to read, write and discover new things was
above all. It was her nirvana.
A week from today, she will be entering the third phase
mentioned in the first paragraph. So, has she made herself an identity? Has she
found her calling? Well almost.
It was her dream, from as long as she can remember, to
create an institution where learning is fun, where children feel they are playing
and learning just happens as part of the process. The deadline that she had set
for herself was a week from now – on her 50th birthday.
However, her saving which she had gathered for over 25 years
wasn’t enough. She spent on her family, her children, her siblings, their
children, their marriages and other occasions. Through she rarely spent on
herself, her selflessness towards the well being of her near and dear ones
meant that she has not saved enough to create this institution - the school of
her Dreams!
Her supportive husband helped her and so did her children
with whatever they could. Her goodwill was such that the students she taught
(who had become engineers, managers etc.) came forward helping with some money.
Everything was in place but she wanted the school of her dreams to have all the
facilities. And, she was sure she did not want to extract money in the form of
donations and deposit to build this institution. “All help should be voluntary
and from the heart”, she often said and would abide by it.
The situation as it stands now – a week to go and she
required about 3 lakh rupees for ensuring the amenities she has in mind for the
students who would attend on the first day at her dream school. She could have
called a few of her students who were doing very well in life. They would have
happily given the money but her self-esteem got the better of her.
Will she win the race against time? Will she be able to
inaugurate this school on the said day? The students had already enrolled and
for the students, she would settle for nothing but the best.
With five days to go, she decided to sell her gold and raise
half the amount. She wondered where the remaining would come from. She couldn’t
hear the doorbell ring twice as she was lost in thoughts. The doorbell’s
non-stop repetition was symbolic of the impatience of the person at the other
end. She quickly gathered herself and made her way to the door. She opened it
and found a courier for her. The sender was from a village in Vijepur, Almora
district, Uttaranchal. The sender chose to stay anonymous.
The person who bought the courier was getting impatient so
she acknowledged the receipt. She closed the door and opened the envelope. What
she saw surprised her to no end. A State Bank of India cheque of five lakh
Rupees was staring at her. She was in Mumbai for more than three decades now.
She had never been to North India. She had never heard of a village called
Vijepur. Who was this anonymous sender and why would he send this amount? She
peeped into the envelope once again to find a neatly written letter. It read
“
Respected Ma’am,
The school of your
dreams will be a blessing to the students. They will grow into well-informed and
educated youth that our country can rely upon. I have always wanted to
contribute to the growth of my country and I am sure, this is one of the best
ways. I wish to stay anonymous for some more time but I assure you that I will
come and meet you soon. I wish you all the very best for this school and hope
more people like you are born each year so that the world becomes a happier
place.”
Yours obediently,
__________.
“
With not much option left, she decided to encash the amount
and her school was set to roll a day before her 50th birthday. True
to her nature, she didn’t seek publicity by having celebrities or political
heavyweights come and inaugurate it. Her 75 year old mother did the honours.
She sought her blessings. Many of her students shared the proud moment. They
had come from various parts of India and abroad to congratulate her on this
very special day. She was overwhelmed but managed to stop her tears of joy from
rolling down her cheeks.
She received the congratulatory messages, shake-hands and
hugs from most of her students and when almost all of them were done, she saw a
man in his late twenties. He was dressed in neat formals, well-combed hair and
a glow on the face punctuated his appearance.
“Well done! Ma’am. I am very proud of you!” said the young
man. She failed to recollect who he was but he helped her out of the emotional
quagmire. I am Rajesh, son of Shivlal Yadav, the mali (gardener) near the public garden in your house. If you recollect,
you saw my interest in getting educated and taught me for free. You taught me
till the time I was here without charging any fee. You lent me books and taught
me everything. You made me good enough to clear my class X exams.
It hurt my conscience bad that I couldn’t come to see you as
I had to leave for my native place in a hurry. My mother was very ill and we
had to leave overnight. When we reached our village the next day, she died. I couldn’t
talk to her. The sadness and the fact that I couldn’t meet you depressed me a
lot. We had to stay back in our village as my father had to now take care of my
siblings. I channeled all my energies to academics and I am the first person
from my village to be a post graduate.”
The teacher and her student both had tears in their eyes by
now. The student continued “I did pick up odd jobs, teach students etc. to make
ends meet. We set up a restaurant in Almora which my siblings run and we are
doing quite well now. My father helps in the business and we are financially
sound.”
“So, do you run the restaurant, are you in-charge of the
day-to-day affairs?” she asked proudly. The young man curtsied as he replied, “No
Ma’am. I appeared and cleared the IAS exam. Today, I am an IAS officer and earn
a lot of respect.”
He touched her feet
and gave her the credit for his accomplishments. “I had sent the cheque that
you received some days back. This card has my name and number. Please do reach
me anytime you need any administrative help with regards to the school. It will
be my honour to contribute towards this great institution that you are trying
to build. I have been silently tracking
your life. I knew that you would require money for the scale of institution that
you plan to build. My only concern was if the amount would be sufficient.”
Her joy knew no bounds. She has taught him for free because
she saw in him the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And, today he had paid
her over ten times in money terms and a zillion times in happiness.
Her fiftieth birthday had become more special than she ever
imagined. This was definitely the BEST BIRTHDAY Gift, she had ever received! She
would cherish this till her last breath.
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