Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Mangalore, Mar 8: Neither 39-year-old Shashi nor her 18-year-old physically challenged daughter Vaishnavi ever dreamt of going to school or college together. However, destiny had willed otherwise and it is no more a dream for both of them who are now pursuing their under graduation at St Aloysius Evening College.

This mother-daughter duo is the ideal example to show the oft-repeated quote “if there is a will there is a way” and they are leaving no stone unturned to achieve their cherished goal of completing their post graduation in English. The journey to reach their destination is fraught with numerous impediments which the duo is ready to face come what may. Their fortitude, the determination, willingness to accept the challenge of leading a life of dignity is commendable considering their background and adverse situation.

For Shashi and Vaishnavi there is no one except themselves to share their ideas, dreams, happiness, pains and sorrows, which of course has not dampened their enthusiasm to stand tall on their own legs. While Vaishnavi is full of admiration and respect for her mother who has been toiling hard to give her a decent life, Shashi is happy that she is able to step into the portals of school/college after a gap of almost 20 years courtesy, her daughter. She regrets having left school in 8th after losing her hair following typhoid and that had sealed her fate of continuing her education. The next 20 years passed on following her marriage and subsequent birth of Vaishnavi, her only daughter.

Her husband had died 8 years ago and Shashi who has only a house in Shaktinagar, (near Gopalakrishna temple) to call her own, did not want to deprive her daughter of education. Neither her family nor that of the husband is bothered about rendering any help to them fearing that the entire responsibility would fall on their shoulders. “I know only education can help us to reach our goals and lead a life of dignity holding our head high. I am pinning my hopes only on education”, Shashi says.

A chance meeting with the former Headmaster of Aloysius Evening College Praveen Hridayaraj opened the doors for the duo to fulfill their dream of joining the Aloysius Evening School to complete their SSLC exam directly. Since Vaishnavi needs help to move around Shashi had to accompany her to school and that is when she got the brainwave of appearing for SSLC directly along with Vaishnavi. Destiny had however, other plans. Vaishnavi who was new to the very system of writing or answering exams (she never had been to a formal school) failed in maths while Shashi made it through. Vaishnavi completed the subject in the supplementary exam and joined her mother in the college. Now Shashi is in second-year degree where as Vaishnavi is in her first year of graduation.

But all this was possible only due to the helping hand extended to the duo by the Rector of Aloysius institutions, the faculty and the staff. When Shashi explained to the Rector that her daughter wants to pursue her studies in the evening college the Rector came to their rescue by agreeing to pay the transportation cost. As Vaishnavi cannot commute by public transport they have to depend on the auto for their daily travelling to college. The to and fro transport cost is Rs. 200 everyday (now) which the college has been paying ever since. A grateful Shashi and Vaishnavi have no words to express their gratitude for the management of Aloysius institutions for giving them a new lease of life. “Now we have taken it as a challenge to complete our education and show to others that we can stand on our own legs. Though we have relatives we feel we don’t have any one and it is a question of working hard for another 3 to 4 years”, Shashi says as a matter of fact.

Life has been very unkind to both these women as the entire responsibility of the family has fallen on the frail shoulders of Shashi. She is now doing tailoring at home to sustain both of them. Tough the income generated is hardly sufficient she is left with no other go as going out for work leaving her daughter alone is out of question. Shashi cannot concentrate on stitching for long hours also. After finishing her household work and that of the daughter she can stitch from 10 to 2 pm and then it is time for them to get ready for the college. She has to devote some time for her studies also and by the end of the day she is too tired.

Nothing, however, distracts her from her goal of making her daughter a lecturer to enable her earn a livelihood on her own. “I want to ensure that my daughter becomes a lecturer and gets a government job so that she has a secure future. It is a challenge for us to show that we are capable of standing on our own to all those who shunned us”, Shashi avows. She is quite pernickety about her dream, her goal, the challenge ahead and also their destination together. Daughter Vaishnavi too is able to understand the pain of her mother and her struggles and is determined to fulfill the dreams they weave together.

Both Shashi and Vaishnavi come across as strong willed women who are on the threshold of chartering the course of their lives with the new found courage and conviction with little support from good Samaritans.

Hats off to the duo for showing that nothing succeeds like success and given the hard work they put in they are sure to attain success in whatever little way they perceive. Their life journey is sure to be a source of inspiration to many others who are faced with situations similar to theirs. There is an anonymous saying – “some people dream of success… while others wake up and work hard at it”. Need we say Shashi and Vaishnavi have been doing both with aplomb.