“The formative period for building character for eternity
is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a
sceptre more potent than that of kings or priests”.~Anonymous.
The year was 1946. On the eve of betrothal ceremony the boy and the girl were asked to speak their mind out. The boy had nothing to say other than “I love to marry you”. But the girl had these conditions:
1) I should be named BHARATI after marriage.
2) I should be allowed to work on Charka (the spinning Wheel) at my leisure time and
3) All the members of the family (husband, wife and children (when born) should put on Khadi clothes till I am alive”.
He readily accepts all the conditions and the marriage takes place on2) I should be allowed to work on Charka (the spinning Wheel) at my leisure time and
3) All the members of the family (husband, wife and children (when born) should put on Khadi clothes till I am alive”.
08-05-1946. All these conditions were met.
Her maiden name was Kamala Bai Gundurao Baindur. She was born on 03-10-1924 in Haliyal, a small town in Karwar Disstrict. She had patriotic fervour having been influenced by her father. Her father Shri Gundurao Narayan Baindur had resigned from the job of Shanbhog (the job involving dealing in matters concerning land revenue of some villages). This was in response to the call of Mahatma Gandhiji at Haliyal Bazaar area in December 1920 for Non-cooperation to the Colonial British Government. After passing her Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) Exam in 1944 she joined as a temporary clerk in Revenue Department at District Collector’s Treasury Office, Karwar. She participated actively in the Independence Movement.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose established Azad Hind Fauz on 21-10-1943 to expel the British and it’s Allies from Indian soil. As a token of happiness and recognition of its existence and resolve to support it Kamala Bai took part in the Morning Procession (Prabhat Pheri). She was arrested and taken to jail. Her brother’s classmate was on duty at that police station. He reprimanding her and advised her not to participate in Prabhat Pheri. He also warned her that her actions may lead to loss of job to her elder brother who was also working in the Treasury Department.
But her Officer at the Collectorate, Karwar did not forgive her. He had in advance threatened her that if she ever participated in Independence Movement he would inform the Collector and certain loss of job would result. She did not attend office expecting the inevitable. Her Officer got her name deleted from the Attendance Register.
She learnt the spinning on Charka from Mrs. Amaravati Pai who was sent by Ankola Gram Seva Samiti for teaching. After spinning the resultant spindles were exchanged for Khadi cloth which in turn was stitched for wearing for self and other family members.
She received prizes for good performance in Marathi Drama. She took her music lessons from Shri Chikermane Mohan. She was exceptionally good at singing devotional Marathi songs and patriotic Hindi songs in a melodious voice. She is remembered for all these and her courageous nature.
Photo of Mrs Bharathi taken in 1947 at Chittoor
After marriage she went to Chittoor (AP). It was a joint family. When her first son completed 2 years the
number of people in the joint family consisted of 11 members. Her husband’s eldest brother was taking care of running the family. A day before salary the provisions were exhausted. All 11 members which included 5 children would have to go to bed without food. The provision merchant refused to give provisions till all the earlier pending bills were paid. Mrs Bharati told her brother in law not to feel sad because she could prepare Dosas without using oil and by using powdered ragi (which is not a staple food at that place hence remained unattended to in the attic). The problem was solved by the presence of mind and initiative of Mrs Bharati.
Mrs. Bharati had a neighbour who said “My husband is a barber and our income is meager. Where can we get money for nursing my sick child with skin disease? Bharati came to know of my daughter’s sickness which generally people abhor; she selflessly volunteered to nurse the child back to health.” She extended such service to a sick child at Karwar too. This serving nature of Mrs. Bharati helped most her second son, then over 3 years old, who was diagnosed of Tetanus. Convulsions at any time would attack the child
(Photo of Second Son of Mrs. Bharathi taken in 1954)
Doctors tried to make her understand that those who were diagnosed of Tetanus in the Hospital rarely survived. One nurse advised her “Make your heart strong. A child who entered as a tetanus patient here returned as a corpse recently. Be bold to face the inevitable.” But mother being mother she had twin instruments at her disposal; one that of prayer to God and the other being rapt attentiveness in nursing the sick child.
On a particular mid-night the child’s father called in the doctor thrice for help on all the three convulsive attacks the child had. At the time of fourth attack he was hesitant to approach the doctor. The mother without a second thought rushed for the doctor and later the child was attended to. She explained her husband that any number of times the child had the trouble that many times the doctor should be called in, even at the cost of his getting irritated. Because irritation of the doctor is temporary but the life of the child is long lasting.
Miraculously soon afterwards the child was declared out of danger. The medical staff as a rare gesture to the happiness of the child (and to the ecstasy of his parents) celebrated Dipawali in the Hospital. He was later discharged.
When mother was in the kitchen, the child was playing near the house and reached a spot which was in front of the rear tyres of a bus which was stationed for a few minutes by the bus driver. The driver suddenly got into the bus and started to proceed. He was oblivious of the fact of the child playing under the bus. From Kitchen door ever alert mother, realized the danger and shouted for help. The driver at the nick of the moment stopped the bus. The child was saved from certain death.
“God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers”. ~Jewish Proverb.
Though she was only 4 feet and 11 inches tall she was graceful in appearance, thought, word and deed. She was fair complexioned and had a very long plait reaching down to her knee level. All her three brothers and a sister who have all crossed eighty years of age always considered her the most healthy person in their family. One of her elder brothers who is physically fit recently celebrated his 92nd birth day.
She used to spend money only on absolute essential things so that she could use the savings out of her husband’s monthly salary of Rs 25/- to buy a house. She used to deposit her savings with a lady who was staying a couple of minutes walk from her house. Smaller change coins she used to deposit in an earthen pot with a line whole to put in the coins. She used to buy milk, dilute it with water and give to children and her husband and if remainder is there it is for her consumption. Coffee and tea powder being costly she never bought or used them at home. Even to this day none of her children drink either coffee or tea.
Mrs Bharati went for a medical check up at Christian Medical College, Vellore founded by Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder. The lady doctor (it was perhaps the famous Dr. Scudder herself) advised Mrs. Bharati to rest for a while so that she could talk to her husband. After a few minutes she unwittingly reached the entrance to the cabin of the doctor. The doctor was explaining her husband that she had an advanced stage in breast cancer and her future life span depended on God’s miracle. But doctor’s efforts in the form of radium treatment would be there to the patient. Concessional charges would be charged at Rs 50/- for the treatment in view of financially poor patient. Even Rs 50/- meant two months’ salary to her husband.
On hearing the most unexpected worst thing to take place to his beloved wife her husband wept bitterly. On hearing this Mrs. Bharati rushed inside the cabin and tried to pacify the troubled soul to the utter surprise of the doctor at her courage and temporarily unable to make out who of the two was the patient – the one who saw hopeless future and the other one who was infusing courage.
When she could still speak after the debilitating radium treatment advised her husband (whose monthly income was only Rs 25/- at that time) that one of her friends in Karnataka being childless would be very glad to adopt their second son and second daughter. To some extent her husband would be relieved of the financial strain. He told her come what may, all the four children (aged 2 years, 5 years, 7 years and 10 years) would remain with him and prepared to sacrifice anything for their welfare. She had a wish that all her children should pass SSLC. He promised to do the needful. (The second son alone failed in SSLC in the first attempt but passed in the second attempt). Her last wish was also fulfilled.
Life savings of Mrs. Bharati deposited with a lady ‘friend’ in the neighbourhood could not be recovered after Mrs. Bharati could no longer speak and was paralysed. There were no records to prove the payments.
When her son suffered from Tetanus and doctors lost all hopes of recovery and expected the worst for the child, Mrs. Bharati is said to have prayed to God to take her life in lieu of her son’s. Her prayer was answered in two instalments –
1) tetanus aflicted son could recover and survive
“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life”. ~Abraham Lincoln
and 2) she died after a year on 29-12-1957
– “Those whom God loves die young.”
Whenever her blessed son gets hurt or faces the unexpected or ecstatic, without his conscious effort, first thing he calls out is “Amma (mother)” though 57 long years have passed after she left her mortal frame. Obviously relevance of mother is ever present.
“The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence, when only the heart speaks”. ~Carrie Latet
“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends – but only one mother in the whole world”. ~Kate Douglas Wiggin
Incidentally, Mrs. Bharati’s second son is the author of this article.
The article captures the very essense of a being. Hearttouching indeed.
ReplyDeleteShe is the perfect example of being a woman in her different roles. Pranams
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