I am one of the senior-most people in HOPE now. Many people were asked to resign from their jobs due to the pandemic recently. Only three to four of us work in our school now. We don’t get as many funds as we used to get in the past due to the Carona Virus pandemic. This school that we currently work for was established from the funds that the Samsung company gave the HOPE organisation. Yes, there is a HOPE centre in Mumbai too. Next time you come to Chennai, you must surely make a trip to Nagapattinam too. It is just an overnight journey.
No, I don’t live in Nagapattinam. I live in a taluka called Tharangambadi in a village called Porayar. It was severely affected during the Tsunami. That time I was posted in Delhi. Okay, I’ll start at the beginning.
My father is a farmer and my mother too is a farmer. We were not poor. We were very very poor. We ate whatever we could whenever we had enough to eat. I somehow managed to finish studying till the 12th standard. But I did not have a single proper document for my address proof. After I finished my 12th standard, I decided to study further.
My father said I could do that on my own if I wished to. But I knew he had no money. I had only one set of clothes – a pavadai and a blouse, which I wore to school every day. I would come home, wash it and allow it to dry during the night and wear the same set of clothes again the next day. We had no money. I knew that very well. So I never asked for such things either.
In fact, even when I went to Delhi, I did not have a pair of chappals with me. I had to appear for my 12th standard exams again in Delhi and clear them to get a certificate. I used this certificate to get my address proof and only after that could I pursue my higher studies.
Yes, today I have a master’s degree in Social work and English, a Bachelor’s degree in English, Hindi and Sociology and a Diploma in Elementary Education too. All these documents/certificates/qualifications are necessary if you want to teach in a government school or an organisation like HOPE. You may have all the experience in the world and maybe an excellent expert teacher too but those certificates are very important too.
I worked for a few years in Delhi first. That is when my brother-in-law introduced me to my husband and we got married soon after that. I got married quite late. When my husband realized how keen I was on studying, he motivated me and supported me wholeheartedly. I would work and then return home and study for my exams or work on my assignments.
I have two lovely children. We have lived even in thatched homes earlier because we did not have much money at that time. We spend very frugally and save whatever we can. Today, we have built a beautiful house of our own in Kerala with our savings. My sister lives in Kerala and my mother lives in our house now. We plan to go and live there after we retire. Right now, we are paying Rs.4,500/- as rent. I travel by bus. Yes, the frequency is good. But now due to the pandemic, the frequency has reduced so often I have to wait for an hour to catch the bus back home.
At one stage in my life, I had just one set of clothes. Today I have three cupboards full of lovely sarees and we have enough to eat too. But none of us wastes money. My children have imbibed all these values from us. My husband and I never – yes – never fight. I am his senior in age and even in the organization. I earn a slightly higher salary too. But such things have never mattered to me. I don’t even know the PIN of my ATM card. My husband brings me whatever I want and never questions me. So such things don’t matter to us at all.
Yes, we know we are doing good work – God’s work. I have often felt this in my life itself. You know when I was pregnant with my first child, one of my fallopian tubes ruptured. The doctors were certain that I would not survive. In fact, when they took me to the operation theatre, they asked me what my last wish was and if I wanted to tell something to my husband. I just looked at the doctors and nurses and said, “Nothing is going to happen to me. I will be fine. I have so much more work to do.” And here I am. God takes very good care of people who take care of the poor and needy. So I am not scared of such things now.
Yes, I work regularly even during this Carona crisis. And we are all safe and will be safe in the future too. One other instance that I recollect is the day when I fell while boarding a bus. I thought I had fractured my leg. But I had just twisted it badly. So many people came to visit us during that phase. They brought us so many gifts and food too. But I was fine within a couple of days and resumed working shortly after that.
But I will never forget those days when we were so very poor. Ah, yes, I missed out on this. When I went to Delhi, I did not have the money to pay my fees too to appear for my 12th standard exams. My friend paid the fees for me. I will remain grateful to that friend forever.
My children are very good too. They know the value of things. They never make unreasonable demands on us. In fact, when we buy a new pencil box for them, they will identify a person and specifically ask me to give their old pencil box or clothes to that particular girl or boy. They maintain their things very well too.
I like to help people in any way I can. But I dislike accepting gifts. We have a ration card and we are eligible for 20 kg of rice every month apart from the other essentials too. But whenever I see the labourers without chappals or the construction workers who work hard all through the day, I buy them a pair of chappals or give away a good sari of mine or give away all the provisions that we are eligible for and ask them to use their hard-earned money to buy whatever their kids want. Often I give them 50 rupees along with the provisions too.
My neighbours keep saying that I can easily sell the ration rice for 10 Rs and make some money out of it. But what will I do with that kind of money? Isn’t it better that a poor man eats a better meal?
My children see all this. So they understand how tough life can often be for all of us. They don’t make any demands on us. But even if they do so I just remind them of the days when I did not even have the money to buy a pair of chappals for myself. In fact, the first thing I did when I earned my salary from HOPE is buy myself a pair of chappals. Yes, our toughest times often teach us invaluable lessons. There is no doubt about that.