When I was 24 years old, I went to Arunachal Pradesh to work with the Vivekananda Kendra. It was a very remote area. I often searched to see if anyone from our Beed district was working there, but I never found anyone. Many people came to serve this part of India near the China border, but people from Marathwada were very few—almost none.
Later, I went to Ranchi for training. I saw the Santhal
Pargana region and other backward areas there. I felt inside that we are very
fortunate to be from Marathwada. At least we have many facilities. Especially
Ambajogai is known for education and its medical college. While moving around
those parts of Jharkhand, I often wondered—would anyone from there ever come to
work in Ambajogai? I felt the same about Arunachal too. After working in the
toughest places, I returned to Ambajogai. Till then, my work was mostly with
the middle class. But after COVID, I saw the “Jharkhand” and “Arunachal” within
Ambajogai itself.
The work was difficult, but it felt easy because it was in my
own town. Working in your own place is always easier. My close friend from
GramUrja Foundation, Dadasaheb Gaikwad, once came to meet me. He was always
with me in the work at Shikalgar (Sikligar) settlement. He told me, “A girl has
come from Delhi to work. She is a fellow from Seva International. Will it be
okay if she works with you?” I said, “Let me meet her first, then we’ll
decide.” Her name was .
Parvati came to meet me. I told her everything about the
settlement honestly, without hiding anything. Then I asked her where she was
from. She said she was from Jharkhand. My mind went back almost 30 years. I
felt waves of great happiness. I took Parvati to the settlement. The girls
there were very innocent, but the boys—don’t even ask! Even I wonder why they
are scared of me, and their parents wonder too. The boys made fun of her when
they saw her. Short, thin, dark Parvati got scared. Their gestures made her
uncomfortable. She clearly told me, “I don’t think I can do this work. The
children here are not good.” My happiness dropped to zero. I calmly listened to
her and said, “I will come to the settlement with you every day.” From that
day, she became Parvati Didi for all the children and for me.
Parvati Didi is originally from Jharkhand. She comes from a
family living in extreme poverty. For survival, at least two generations of her
family migrated from Jharkhand to other states for work. Her father repaired
bicycles in Delhi. Her mother worked as a domestic helper. Parvati studied
entirely in government schools. She had a strong desire to learn, but the
teachers hardly taught. She struggled a lot, but much of it went in vain. By
self-study, she got admission to college and later completed her B.Ed. She has
an elder sister and a younger brother. Her elder sister completed MSW. When
Parvati came to know about the Seva International Fellowship, she applied. She
had no option but to work, and she hoped to get meaningful work. She cleared
the interview. Her posting was at GramUrja Foundation in Ambajogai, and that’s
how we met.
Parvati Didi started coming to the settlement with me.
Initially, she wouldn’t meet anyone unless I was there. Slowly, she became one
with the girls of the settlement. Soon, she started coming even before me. She
usually came around 4 pm and stayed till 7:30 or 8 pm. She knew every house in
the settlement. She became a talisman around the girls’ necks—so close to them.
I warned her many times to leave early, but she never listened.
She had immense passion, readiness to work hard, great
imagination, and strong emotional strength. I rarely feel that any young woman
of her age in Ambajogai would work like this in a settlement. Even older women
might not work with such dedication. Her efforts were tireless. Whenever she
felt uneasy, she would surely call me and needed a lot of my time. She lived 5
km away from my house, rarely got an auto, and always got late. When she
arrived, she smiled innocently and started talking. She never knew what to say
and what not to say. After talking for two or three hours, she would ask me,
“What should I do now?” I would smile and reply. Even the older boys started
getting along well with her. If they tried to tease her, she would challenge
them, and the boys would work hard. I couldn’t believe this was the same
Parvati.
A few months ago, when I was near the settlement, I got a
call. Before I could answer, it got cut. This happened three or four times.
Finally, the call connected. Parvati Didi was speaking in fear, “Dada, there
has been a very big fight here. Please come immediately!” Fights are common in
the settlement, but this time she herself was the reason. When I reached, she
was crying loudly. I smiled and calmed her down. That crying Parvati Didi had
become dear to the entire settlement.
She helped everyone get Ayushman cards. She made many visits
to the tehsil office to get ration cards updated online. To get helpers for
children’s studies, she visited many colleges. She met school teachers of the
settlement children. She organized many games. The children cleaned a very
dirty place and started a joyful open-air school under the sky. Most
importantly, because of her efforts, the settlement celebrated 15th August for
the first time in 30 years. She prepared a special dance program with the girls.
In truth, I am as old as her father, but I never realized when she became my
younger sister. Bonds formed through work - especially value-driven work - are
very strong. Parvati Didi shared her heart openly with me. She insisted,
argued, but finally listened to me. She wanted to build toilets for women in
the settlement. She tried a lot but did not succeed.
I wanted a small steel water bottle. I told many people
about it. It was a little unusual and hard to find. When Parvati Didi came to
know, she made sure to get it. When I said I needed one more, she had to
struggle again to find it. When you find a colleague who works with the same
stubborn dedication you once had in your youth, it brings a special joy. Many
people who suffer from poverty and lack of education struggle only to live
comfortably. But Parvati Didi was spending her youth serving the distant
Shikalgar settlement of Ambajogai. Most adult and young men there had been to
jail and were very strong-built. Parvati Didi was scared of them. One day, I
made her sit and interview one of them. It was fun. I made her sit there and
left. Her fear vanished easily.
One day, suddenly, she called me. She urgently wanted to
talk. She had completed six months in Ambajogai. Now she wanted new
experiences. She told me she would not stay in Ambajogai anymore. Perhaps she
told only me. I felt sad, but I am used to such moments now. Through her work,
Parvati Didi won not just the children but all of us. She did not remain just a
colleague - she became my lovely younger sister. When she came to say goodbye,
everyone in the settlement had tears in their eyes.
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