Nandanachechi as I call her over the last decade or so has been my role model and she also became my mentor. I can talk to her about anything and before I tell her what is on my mind she knows what it is, call it intuition, call it a connect. Speaking to her helps me get clarity of thought and she always has a new perspective to an idea, to a problem, to a solution.
She is my sister in law by relation and I was very young when she married my cousin, Hariettan. I had seen her just once in Delhi, I remember as a lady with bobbed hair wearing a crisp cotton saree with a large bindi. I remember my father telling me that her mother was bold and brave lady and that Nandanachechi herself is doing some great work. I was in awe of her that day but little did I know that many years later she would be my best friend.
A lot is written about her, the NGO she gave birth to and nourished. The Concerned for Working Children is an organization that I cherish and I help out in small ways connecting with the world of children and supporting them get on and get going in the world. When I work there I fell I am in a different world altogether and getting back to my normal job and routine seems very insignificant compared to my association with CWC. Indeed, CWC inherited its flavours from her mother, Nandana.
When I met Nandanachechi for the first time in Bangalore in early 2003, I found myself somewhat intimidated by her, it could have been that I had in mind the lady I saw in my childhood or it could be that I was in a awe of her and the aura around her. She had just come back from work, I am sure a very very long day, and she went straight into the kitchen and churned out some delicious dishes in a matter of a few minutes. Then she came and sat with me on the bench outside and we started chatting and slowly I became comfortable with her. The next few months were difficult for me as my father was suffering and in his final months. Hariettan and she were there and that too just a call away. The day my father died, she took charge and she not only held me and hugged me all the time but she made sure that the hospital formalities were completed. She was there at the crematorium right by my side never leaving me for a second. She was there consoling my aunts after the cremation and thereafter she visited us at home till she made sure all of us and my mother were fine. This is not just for me, there are numerous friends and family members who have been touched by her compassion and her kindness.
At work, she inspires, she leads by doing herself what she wants others to do, she listens to ideas and suggestions patiently, she welcomes the new, she questions the old and the normal. She instills confidence in the people who form team CWC. Her ideas are so new and so well articulated, well thought through that are rarely any flaws in it, however she encourages arguments and counter arguments that many times I have seen them create a larger concept from what was in her and their mind in the first place. From her I learnt to get clarity of thought and think through various situations in life with different perspectives, different from what I found comfortable.
As an individual she reminds me of my father who spoke his mind and would question authority and governments’ policies privately and publicly. He was a brave and outspoken person and I always remember him when dear Nandanachechi talks politics, which is rarely with me. Her own concepts are so well researched and well informed that almost always clears my head and the ideas I had or have. Another thing that I learnt from her, be an activist and make your voice heard when is a matter of concern to me, to the community of neighbours or fellow employees. Help others speak up when they cannot.
Her home is always full of young adults and children, whether, nieces and nephews or whether children from CWC. It is like a safe haven for many and she blesses her home with positive energy. Irrespective of her feelings she can lift those around her to an affirmative state of mind and help them through their despair. This I know takes a lot from her but she does it nevertheless.
Of late, we have become soulmates. She offers me comfort when I am in a state of flux and I hope that I give her comfort too when she needs it. Sometimes we just talk about what we have in our minds and just talk about what comes to us, feelings, thoughts, sometimes anger, sometimes sadness, sometimes helplessness and we hold each other through it.
So my dear Nandanachechi, you are my hero, you are my friend, my mentor and my angel. You play a big role in my journey through life.
Little Drops of Memories 