HARYANA: If one could measure happiness, then 84-year-old Mishri Devi would probably be the happiest mother in the world. She was awarded the title of "Best Mother" on Senior Citizens' Day (August 21) this year by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. But her most precious reward is the post her IAS son Dhanpat Singh holds — financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary for social justice and empowerment department of Haryana.
When he was born, she could have never imagined that one day they all will be living in a posh bunglow in an upmarket Chandigarh colony, well fed, served by servants and driven around in a white Ambassador with a red light atop.
Back then her reality was the cramped hand-to-mouth existence of her family of 12 in a small mud house in Roliawas, a village in Haryana's Rewari district. Thanks to Mishri's sheer courage and grit the bad days are now over. Despite being stricken by polio, poverty and social discrimination, Mishri worked hard against all odds to educate all her five sons and five daughters. Her hard work has more than paid off.
Her youngest son Neeraj works and lives in Panchkula, another Jaswant works with Punjab National Bank while Subhash Chander runs a petrol pump in Rewari district. Her eldest son, Chander Bhan, is now retired. And Mishri's zeal to educate was not limited to her sons. All her daughters are educated as well.
She brushes away compliments that come her way. Humility is an important takeaway from her years of hardship. "Main to sirf ye hi chahti thi ke mere bache padh jayen (I just wanted that my children got educated)," she says.
Her husband Makhan Lal used to work as a farm labourer and even at brick kilns. In return, he would get just one eighth of the crop yield from the fields. "Besides this, we used to rear calves of the landlord's buffaloes and get half the price of the adult buffaloes in lieu of our labour," says Mishri Devi.
The hard water in Rewari region yielded very low harvest. But a certain Sarbati Devi came to Mishri's rescue. She used to give her black carrot, a vegetable that can withstand the brackish water. "I will always be grateful for her help," says Mishri, adding that this small help was a lot for her in those days.
What made things worse for the family was their caste. Belonging to a lower caste in a village dominated by Brahmins, Mishri's children had to face discrimination along with hunger and poverty. "My children were not allowed to bathe in the village pond where even buffaloes were allowed," she says. But Mishri is not bitter. "It was not to humiliate us but people from upper castes were just following the age old practices in the village."
After years of misery, Mishri was overjoyed when her eldest son, Chander Bhan, became the first matriculate in the village in 1966. But the joy was shortlived. The family did not have enough money to pay admission fee of senior secondary school. "My husband wanted Chander Bhan to start working as a peon rather than study further so that he could share the burden of feeding the family," recalls Mishri. But she firmly put her foot down and decided to work in the fields, along with her eldest daughter, to earn extra bucks to pay Chander Bhan's fees.
"We would go to the fields and collect mustard that was left behind during the harvest. After two months we had enough mustard to sell in the market and paid the school fees," she says.
In the long run their hard labour paid more than just the boy's school fees. After completing his studies Chander Bhan got a job as a quality inspector in Food Corporation of India (FCI) in 1971. Later, he left the FCI to join a bank first as a clerk and then gradually got promoted to posts of probationary officer and finally a senior manager.
In 1978 Chander Bhan cleared UPSC examination and got selected for DANIPS ( Delhi, Nicobar and Andaman Island Police Service). He was the sole breadwinner for his family. There was no one to bear the burden during his training period without salary. As a result he could not join the service. To date Mishri Devi can never forget this cruel blow of poverty.
Eventually, her other sons also got well-paying jobs. But it was in 1985 when Mishri got the biggest reward. Her son Dhanpat cleared UPSC examination and joined the civil service.
Read more: Haryana woman who won best mother award this year - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Haryana-woman-who-won-best-mother-award-this-year/articleshow/7171595.cms#ixzz19Txk22e7
When he was born, she could have never imagined that one day they all will be living in a posh bunglow in an upmarket Chandigarh colony, well fed, served by servants and driven around in a white Ambassador with a red light atop.
Back then her reality was the cramped hand-to-mouth existence of her family of 12 in a small mud house in Roliawas, a village in Haryana's Rewari district. Thanks to Mishri's sheer courage and grit the bad days are now over. Despite being stricken by polio, poverty and social discrimination, Mishri worked hard against all odds to educate all her five sons and five daughters. Her hard work has more than paid off.
Her youngest son Neeraj works and lives in Panchkula, another Jaswant works with Punjab National Bank while Subhash Chander runs a petrol pump in Rewari district. Her eldest son, Chander Bhan, is now retired. And Mishri's zeal to educate was not limited to her sons. All her daughters are educated as well.
She brushes away compliments that come her way. Humility is an important takeaway from her years of hardship. "Main to sirf ye hi chahti thi ke mere bache padh jayen (I just wanted that my children got educated)," she says.
Her husband Makhan Lal used to work as a farm labourer and even at brick kilns. In return, he would get just one eighth of the crop yield from the fields. "Besides this, we used to rear calves of the landlord's buffaloes and get half the price of the adult buffaloes in lieu of our labour," says Mishri Devi.
The hard water in Rewari region yielded very low harvest. But a certain Sarbati Devi came to Mishri's rescue. She used to give her black carrot, a vegetable that can withstand the brackish water. "I will always be grateful for her help," says Mishri, adding that this small help was a lot for her in those days.
What made things worse for the family was their caste. Belonging to a lower caste in a village dominated by Brahmins, Mishri's children had to face discrimination along with hunger and poverty. "My children were not allowed to bathe in the village pond where even buffaloes were allowed," she says. But Mishri is not bitter. "It was not to humiliate us but people from upper castes were just following the age old practices in the village."
After years of misery, Mishri was overjoyed when her eldest son, Chander Bhan, became the first matriculate in the village in 1966. But the joy was shortlived. The family did not have enough money to pay admission fee of senior secondary school. "My husband wanted Chander Bhan to start working as a peon rather than study further so that he could share the burden of feeding the family," recalls Mishri. But she firmly put her foot down and decided to work in the fields, along with her eldest daughter, to earn extra bucks to pay Chander Bhan's fees.
"We would go to the fields and collect mustard that was left behind during the harvest. After two months we had enough mustard to sell in the market and paid the school fees," she says.
In the long run their hard labour paid more than just the boy's school fees. After completing his studies Chander Bhan got a job as a quality inspector in Food Corporation of India (FCI) in 1971. Later, he left the FCI to join a bank first as a clerk and then gradually got promoted to posts of probationary officer and finally a senior manager.
In 1978 Chander Bhan cleared UPSC examination and got selected for DANIPS ( Delhi, Nicobar and Andaman Island Police Service). He was the sole breadwinner for his family. There was no one to bear the burden during his training period without salary. As a result he could not join the service. To date Mishri Devi can never forget this cruel blow of poverty.
Eventually, her other sons also got well-paying jobs. But it was in 1985 when Mishri got the biggest reward. Her son Dhanpat cleared UPSC examination and joined the civil service.
Read more: Haryana woman who won best mother award this year - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Haryana-woman-who-won-best-mother-award-this-year/articleshow/7171595.cms#ixzz19Txk22e7
