Loststories

Laxmi Naidu addressing students at the Mahila Milan office Dressed in a blue sari, Laxmi Naidu appears frail but commands my attention the moment she starts talking. “Main zyaada padheli- likheli nahi hoon. 2-3 class padhi hoon bas,” she says. Previously, a pavement dweller, Naidu is now a proud owner of a flat. However, the journey from Nagpada to Mankhurd has been a rocky road. To beautify Mumbai the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would break down huts all over the city. Which forced slum dwellers like Naidu to rebuild their lives each time this happened. Things started to look up, when Sheela Patel, the founding director of Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC) stepped in and procured ration cards for 536 pavement dwellers from Nagpada. She advised women like Naidu to come forward and engage in dialogue with authorities to improve their living condition. With Patel’s guidance, the women from Nagpada began their search for land in the city. T...

Photo credit: Bayar Jain P rathamesh Bendre, who is visually impaired has travelled by all the modes of public transport Mumbai offers.   He says that the The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) provides free tickets to the differently-abled and is compensated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Thus, they do not see them as customers and often do not stop for them. They are treated as second-class citizens. He can also supersede the railway ticketing queue and this leads to resentment among other commuters. He says, “Just because I am visually impaired that does not mean I am not physically fit.” Technology can avoid such resentment as the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) application is accessible to the differently-abled to book tickets. He also differentiates between what mode of transport he prefers and what is cost effective. While he prefers the metro, it comes at a higher cost. “Twice when I t...

Photo credit: Bayar Jain Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan, zara hatke, zara bach ke yeh hai Bombay meri jaan (O heart, it is difficult to live here, step aside, be cautious, this is Mumbai, my love.) Several Mumbaikars echo this sentiment as they speed through crowded platforms, squeeze their way into the trains, clutch onto rusted handles to maintain balance and avoid unnecessary fights with fellow commuters. Part of being a Mumbaikar is managing public transport and those who can afford it avoid it altogether. However, some do not have a choice. Candice Dsouza, a counselling psychology student belongs to the category that avoids public transport. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, she finds the gap between the platform and the train too high. Due to this and the rush at peak hours, she would travel by cab from Thane to Churchgate, every day for three years to commute to college. Infrastructural developments like escalators and elevators on platforms are not easily locat...

Photo credit: Kate Cardoz Dressed in her pristine white coat, Dr Jayashree Bhandari sits comfortably in the clinic that adjoins her home. Hair neatly clipped behind her ears, maroon bindi affixed on her forehead, she radiates warmth as she unfolds 68 years of struggle, brilliance and independence.   At the tender age of 10, she experienced discrimination in her traditional Marwadi household, her brother was always loved more. One of the reasons they educated her as a dentist was so that she could teach her brother, who despite being four years older, studied in the same class as her. Initially her plan was to her pursue MBBS to become a paediatrician - just like her father. At three and a half she couldn’t even pronounce ‘paediatrician’ but when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up her response was “Baby doctor.” However, she missed the MBBS cut- off by one mark and thus stumbled upon dentistry.   Once married, she was tortured by her in- laws becau...

Photo credits: Kate Cardoz Till I reached Standard Five, Margaret Cardoz was only ‘Mama’. After that I had to deal with her other avatar ­­– Margaret Miss . While being a teacher’s daughter got me a lot of attention, it also came with great expectations to excel. Once, a teacher of the secondary section asked me, “Who is Margaret Miss?” I replied instantly, “A teacher.” My mother had set clear boundaries for my sister and me. She said, “I am your mother at home. In the school I am a teacher.” Each time I walk with her on the street, we meet at least three students who greet her with shouts of, “Hi Miss!”   She does not remember some of their names but never fails to recognize them by face.   Her teaching career spans 25 years. Every year of teaching brings new stories to the dinner table. Stories that range from her misplacing an examination paper as a novice teacher to little notes written in the English paper saying, “I will be a good boy. Please don’t call m...