Mothers'-Day special: This mother-of-two gave a life to many others
In a self-centric world, rare tales of altruism leave their mark. One such person is Sharada, who despite having her own family to take care of, gives shelter to abandoned girls in Mumbai. She also arranges for their education and skill-training, making them self-sufficient. Ahead of Mother's Day (May 13), let's spare some thought for the mother of two who brought up many others.
Society's inequality disturbed her, so she focused on women
Sharada always wanted to do something "for the betterment of girls" because "the inequality faced by us is very disturbing." That's why she enrolled for a teacher's training course but soon realized that teachers have "only a small window of time in which they are relevant." She got a direction when she joined The Community Outreach Program (CORP), an NGO based in Mumbai Central.
As CORP volunteer, she witnessed the street-dwellers' lives
CORP was set up in 1977 to focus on underprivileged communities and help in the development of women, children and senior citizens. They started out with only one centre in Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, and slowly spread their wings to set up another 13. When Sharada started working as a volunteer, she witnessed the abominable conditions of street-dwellers and the challenges faced by women.
In 2000, Sharanam Centre For Girls was opened
She then decided to do her part. She talked to her husband Nirmal and together they started a shelter home in 2000, naming it Sharanam Centre For Girls. The initial days were mired with challenges: the other residents in the building complex raised issues pertaining to the socio-cultural background of the rescued girls. And detractors included Sharada's relatives.
Challenges: lack of funds, manpower, shelter girls' different personalities
Nirmal and their two children stood rock-solid beside her. With time, she managed to convince the building residents and her kin how education would contribute to these girls' lives. This challenge taken care of, there were other persistent issues like lack of funds and manpower that were looming large. She also had to handle the teenage 'rebellious' years of the shelter girls.
After 18 long years, her efforts have paid off
After 18 long years, 39-year-old Sharada can name girls who stand testimony to her success. There is Neelam, Sonam, Pushpa and several others, who all came to her homeless, destitute and neglected, and emerged self-reliant. Neelam and Sonam, two sisters who couldn't be accommodated in their 8-member family got sheltered in Sharanam. Today, Neelam is a working woman and Sonam works as a nurse.
