The Twist In The Decision

Poornima Sivaraman posted under QuinTale-70 on 2025-01-10



Mrs. Kalpana was a teacher from a reputed school in Nagpur. Recently she lost her husband and she decided to move on. Luckily she possessed  a huge ancestral land near her huge house. Now she felt lonely as she had no issues. Some housekeepers were their for  her aid and be around her.

Once she recouped, she decided  to live her life fully and with a purpose in life.

She watched the poor children playing and roaming around without going to school . Each child has a right to go to school and get educated.

She was contemplating  and thinking day and night. Many nights were spent sleeplessly,  thinking about them and wanting to do something for them.

One day sitting in front of the Pooja Ghar, she felt some light flowing through her. She shivered to feel that and she felt this for two days. She felt Ma in front of her saying, " Why worry when I am with you?"   She understood  that Ma Sarawathi was guiding her to move on .

After pondering about her idea in her mind, she decided upon using that plot in a constructive way.

She gathered courage and with the help of some social worker's  she visited the ' Basti' near her house from where her house help comes to do the vessels and sweeping the house.. She told her house help to bring the women to her house.

One Sunday evening, she addressed the women and explained to them about the importance   and value of educating  both the boys and the girls. 

Every Sunday, they visited her and many other  women joined them and listened to her and understood her points and showed interest in sending their kids to school.

Mrs. Kalpana did not waste time and she contacted a known contractor and got two rooms, a kitchen and two washrooms for the boys and girls .

She ordered  for a Blackboard, few chairs and benches and two carpets. Nursary Rhyme tapes  both in Hindi and in English and Moral story books and colour books and crayons .Her only condition was that the kids should come neatly to the school.

She named the school in regard of her Ma , as ' Sarawathy  Kids School.'

She started her school after performing a small Pooja on Sarawathy Pooja Day and distributed sweets among the people in the Basti.

Initially she taught them playfully the Rhymes in Hindi and the children happily sang along and started to recite while playing.

Looking at her enthusiasm, some ladies offered voluntarily teaching them. Together they worked and many  kids attended the school. They played on the ground  and were happy.

Looking at their happy faces, Mrs. Kalpana  could feel she had found her threshold and can be busy in her life.