My Naughty Child, VIS
Today, when I glance back at the last 25 years of my life, I see in it my two children. First, my own son, Soumya Deep, who is just like his name – calm, peaceful, dignified and serene, always immersed in himself. He has bestowed on me the highest title ‘maa’, who has brought me face to face with and made me experience motherhood. My second child, which 22 years ago has easily landed on my lap, helped me enhance my motherliness, made me fearless through the many challenges I faced, enriched me in society in an environment of religious harmony, reinforced the humanitarian feelings in me by imparting education to the deprived, Swami ji of Ramakrishna Mission, the blessings and belief of the people, which has strengthened my spirituality as the biggest asset of my life; enriching me with unending love and affection, this second child of mine, Vivekananda International School.
The journey from disbelief to belief, from ignorance to knowledge, from distance of the heart to love for one another and from a simple asbestos shed to the current well spread out building has been a long and arduous struggle, and the path was so inaccessible, that today I cannot believe how I have been able to cross those hurdles. I am thankful and bow my head reverently to Shri Ramkrishna Dev, Sharada Ma and Swami Vivekananda that I was chosen as a small tool to fulfil their noble ideology, “Equality of all religions”. I did not even know when my attachment to children, my being a child psychologist, my having a strong desire to do something for women and children became a passion for me. The strong current in the form of this school was so forceful that all my respect and pride, desire for physical happiness and prosperity were swept aside and carried away in it.
Shri ASR Murthy donated the plot of land for the school. Shrimat Swami Akhilatmananda with his foresight, inspiration and determination started the school and with Shrimat Swami Amritaroopananda‟s constant guidance and tutelage has the school been able to attain its present shape. Along with this, some other peoples‟ contributions are so important and crucial that it would not be an exaggeration to call them the foundation stone of the school. First and foremost, I would like to take the name of His Excellency Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, my father Shri Rai Mahendra Prasad, husband Shri Deepak Srivastava, Soumya Deep along with all members of my family, Honourable MLA Shri Saryu Rai, Dr Sharad Sarin, Late Haji Muhammad Khan, younger brother Late Afsar Ali, Shri SP Singh, my beloved brother Shri Mukhtar Alam Khan, Shri Shailendra Sinha, and countless others like Shrimati Sun Mun Nisha who have selflessly sacrificed to lay the foundation of this school. In this ritual, my relatives and guardians, teachers and administrative officials, and my dear students have all extended a helping hand.
In 1977, I had come down to Jamshedpur from Patna for some personal reasons. Since I was a child psychologist, I had opened a centre for counselling in Patna, where I used to counsel. I had planned to do the same here in Jamshedpur also and was trying for it. Three generations of my family are associated with Ramkrishna Mission and I was a regular visitor to the Bistupur Mission. I was greatly influenced by the ideology of practical spirituality and the keen insight towards education of the then secretary, Srimat Swami Akhilatmananda ji and I often went to discuss these subjects with him. One day, all of a sudden he told me, “You can continue with your counselling work, but I want you to take up the post of principal of one of my school.” He also added, “I have been trying for a long time, but am not able to make arrangements to give a proper start to the school. I have every confidence that you will be able to take up this responsibility.” I was at a loss, and could not understand how to go about it as I was totally inexperienced in this line of work. He gave the responsibility to my father to take me to the school the next morning. My father did not say anything but was smiling amusedly as he knew very well that I would not be able to last there and would runaway as soon as I saw the place. On reaching home, I came to know that this school was on the outskirts of the main town and the road leading to the school was not so good; but, the major problem was the school was in Azad Bustee, which at that time was famous for crime and hooliganism. I was slightly scared, but my husband and other family members consoled me saying that the school was in a pretty bad shape and I would not like to stay there once I saw the school. Anyway, Bejon Maharaj ji‟s instruction had to be followed. The next morning I left for the school with my father in his car. After crossing the bridge we had travelled but a little distance along Old Purulia Road, when we saw a crowd running and they told us to take a U-turn immediately. On asking why, we were told that a herd of wild elephants had come near the pond in Jesu Bhavan, which was adjacent to our school, and an elephant calf had fallen into the pond, so its mother had become uncontrollably angry. Somehow, we turned around and went back to narrate the whole incident to Bejon Maharaj ji.
After listening to the whole story, Maharaj ji burst out clapping and laughing loudly. He said, “Before the arrival of goddess Lakshmi her vehicle has arrived. Okay, I myself will take you there.” Once again, Bejon Maharaj ji, my father and I left for the school in the ambassador car. A little before the school, there was still some crowd there and the forest department officials were already engaged in saving the elephant calf. Maharaj ji himself saw the elephants and showed it to us also with a lot of excitement. All my enthusiasm dampened as soon as I saw the school. A shed with asbestos cover was partitioned and converted into a few classrooms. There was a well behind it, beyond which wherever you saw, there was dense jungle everywhere. There was no provision for fans in the class rooms, no gate, no boundary walls. I was gazing at this, when five or six children and two teachers had encircled Bejon Maharaj ji. Without any further delay Maharaj ji pointed towards me and told them, “From tomorrow onwards she will be your principal.” There I was, waiting to make a hasty retreat as early as I could, but Maharaj ji was busy introducing me as the principal to everyone. Although the children looked extremely poor by their dress and appearance, they were bubbling with happiness and exuberance. While returning Maharaj ji left it on me to finalize the school timing and also added that sari was the dress code for the teachers. I wanted to tell him no then and there, but was unable to do so. Gauging my mental condition my father told him that since my son was so young, it would be difficult for me to go so far and spend so much time every day. Maharaj ji confidently said that everything will be alright. I was in a dilemma. On the one hand he was so excited and enthused, on the other hand I was totally inexperienced, to be away from my son for so long, to spend so much time among unknown people in Azad Bustee, wearing a sari, quit my counselling work and pass the time without any basic amenities, not even a fan, in and asbestos roofed shed. By evening, I had made up my mind that I would not go there. With this determination, I went to Maharaj ji and told him about all my difficulties and that I would not be able to go there. Maharaj ji sadly said, “In that case, I will have to give up the idea of a school there, as you are the only person capable enough who can run the school.” Till today I have not been able to ascertain how he had so much confidence and faith in me. Then he began to tell me in detail why he wanted to start a school there.
Mr Murthy had donated about five and a half acres of land. There were several reasons why Swami ji wanted to start only an English medium co-educational school there.
1) The most important reason was poverty, due to which no child was able to get modern education. Of course, some children did go to Urdu medium schools, but that was till class ten.
2) Due to lack of education and other facilities crime and hooliganism in the area was rampant.
3) Religious bigotry was prevalent in the absence of proper education.
4) At a very young age, children were employed as garage mechanics, domestic help or waiters in eating houses.
5) Since not properly educated, the condition of the girl child and women were even worse as they never ventured out of their house.
6) Superstition and religious bigotry can only be abolished through proper education.
Bejon Maharaj believed that only modern education could develop self confidence in the children and women of the area and only by true quality education can they be connected to the mainstream of the society. I was greatly influenced by these beliefs of Swami ji, but was not able to prepare myself for it. In the end Swami ji said something which stirred up my heart. He said, “My God doesn’t reside in a temple but it is in front of me, in the form of these children. Can you give me one year of your life so that I can establish this dream school of mine?” There was nothing that I could say and somehow I convince myself to stay on for a year. Immediately, Maharaj ji spoke to an auto owner, Mushir Ahmed (Pappu Bhai) who lived next to the school and finalized first a tempo and then a van for my conveyance to and from the school. Maharaj ji told Pappu to “Drop your Didi and pick her up punctually every day. From that day onwards, till today Pappu has faithfully fulfilled our elder sister – younger brother relationship. Every Bakrid, Rakhi and Bhai Dooj his presence in my house is a must. Pappu spared no effort in publicizing for the school and soon became a favourite of Bejon Maharaj ji. Those days, Old Purulia Road was in a terrible state and I had to travel to and fro on that bumpy road every day. My younger brother Anant Saurav, who was appearing for his ICSE exams that year used to go with me to study for his exams. I had spoken to Maharaj ji that I would not be going to school in order to coach Anant at home. Maharaj ji solved the problem by telling me to take him to school with me as well. Anant used to enjoy the school. He would sit in the office and speak to all the visitors who came to the school for any queries. This way began the continuation of my going to school, I did not even realise when and how that one year of my life changed into my entire life.
First and foremost, I hanged a gong, purchased registers, organised my office, arranged for benches in the classrooms and other necessary things. At that time there were only seven students in all, and I started door to door visit to add more. I remember that time I had visited almost every house in Azad Bustee. Initially, majority of the people looked at me with suspicion. Still, I met the ladies and told them how necessary modern education was for their children. I told them about my school, as well as the ideals of Ramkrishna Mission, especially about our belief in the equality of all religions. Gradually, within six months, the student strength rose to about fifty. Those days none of the ladies would come up to the school. I used to encourage them to come because it was the mother who alone can take care of their children. In the beginning the children would come to school without proper grooming. I kept some towels, combs, soaps etc and my helping hand, Mariam, used to bathe and clean the children and got them readied for school. She would also feed the children biscuits and bread. After a few days the children themselves started coming to school properly bathed and cleaned and with their own tiffin boxes. Not only this, we also taught the parents how they should come to school. Every few days we provided the parents with the necessary tips on cleanliness, health and diet, especially to the mothers. In course of a year the student strength became one hundred. The day the hundredth child took admission, my joy knew no bounds; I hurriedly went and passed on this information to Bejon Maharaj ji. The school was gradually taking shape when some antisocial and selfish elements instigated religious feelings and began a propaganda campaign against the school. I had to face some very difficult situations; even animal flesh was thrown around near the school campus. Anti-social elements and criminals had left no stone unturned to spread religious hatred and close down the school as well as force me to flee from there. I was being constantly heckled a lot. My well wishers forbid me from going to school. Still Maharaj ji and my young son kept my spirits high. Maharaj ji went to the school many times and spoke to the people residing nearby. Some ladies of the locality and some experienced and strong people came forward and helped to bring the situation under control. Till his very end, Jannatnasheen Mohammed Khan provided his guidance to the school and me as a guardian with love and kinship. Shrimati Sunmun Nisha also came forward and spread awareness among the women towards the school and towards education which is there even today. Her own child has passed out from this school and is occupying a high position in his field of work.
After the sudden demise of Bejon Maharaj ji in 2004, I felt that I would not be able to run the school any longer; but the memory of his last visit to the school kept repeatedly haunting me. Don’t know why, during his last visit to the school he had said disappointedly, “I had so many dreams about this school but couldn’t do anything.” Without any hesitation, I had told him, “Don’t you worry Maharaj ji, I will fulfil your dreams.” I had committed myself to do it.
With the passing away of Bejon Maharaj ji the land mafias were attracted to the spread out large vacant land of the school. They knew that they could not do anything or grab any land without first removing me from there. It was then that they started using threats and enticement for which I had to take the help of the police; but when the administration also advised me not to go to school as I had become a target of the land mafias, that with a heavy heart, I stopped going to school. It was then that I received God sent messages of „not to be afraid‟ from two honourable gentlemen. One of them was Mohammed Khan who told me over the phone, “Allah has decreed the number of breath I will take in my lifetime; as long as any of it is left, no one who can harm you, my child.” The other was the then secretary of Patna Ramkrishna Mission, Shrimat Swami Tatgatanand who in his letter quoted Swami Vivekananda, „Face the brute, don’t run away.‟ The maximum encouragement I received was from my own son. He told me,” It would hurt me the most if you leave school. GO.” After this, I went to the school with unwavering courage.
It was during the summer holidays when gun toting criminals built a boundary wall on half of the vacant school land. Even after complaining to the police, no action was taken. It was then that an historical incident happened. Over about one hundred women then took charge. First they demolished the boundary wall the criminals had erected and then started pelting stones so heavily that the criminals had no alternative but to flee, leaving behind whatever possessions they had brought with them. Later on, the police arrived. This incident proved that nothing can stand in the way of mothers, who can go to any extreme when they are they determined to protect the future well being of their children. After this episode, another painful incident took place. A false case of cheating the adivasis was lodged against me and policemen were posted in the school campus. That night, my father and I met the then superintendent of police, Shri Ashish Batra. He immediately understood the whole matter, took charge of the problem in his own hands and reprimanded the policemen strongly. I had no previous knowledge of land deeds, neither did I have any experience in official correspondence. My father and my husband were helping me in these affairs. Still, attempts at land grabbing and threats continued unabated. It was then that I was reminded of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, whom I had the privilege of meeting through my son at Raj Bhavan, where he had heard about my school. He had then placed his hand on my head and blessing me said, “You are doing a national job, …. Go ahead.” I wrote a letter to him mentioning all the details about what was going on in the school. Today, whenever I think about it, I feel, that the blessings of such a godly person was a great asset to me. Being the president of the country then, Dr Kalam took my letter seriously and his reply letter brought the school to the forefront of the administration. A detailed administrative enquiry was held. I am thankful to Shri SP Singh of the Education Department, who, after an impartial and fearless investigation, submitted such an Investigation Report, after which there was no deficiency by the administrative dispensation in providing security to me or the school.
Along with all these incidents another thing that happened which strengthened the school was that Srimat Swamiamritarupananda ji took charge as the secretary of Ramkrishna Mission, Jamshedpur who became strong support for the school. It is due to his calm and skilful protection which has helped in the construction of the grand building and continuous progress progress of the school.
Presently the school has about 1500 students on its rolls. Many alumni of this school are working in top positions in India and abroad. Even our girls have brought glory in the field of medicine and engineering. Today, the school has its beautiful and well adorned building. Another point worth mentioning is that in spite of the school not getting any financial aid its fees are much less compared to other schools. We are continuously endeavouring to take this school to greater glory. My school Vivekananda International School is well established as a large family where there is no discrimination based on religion, caste or creed, rich or poor. We celebrate various festivals throughout the year – sometime Idd, sometime Holi, sometimes Diwali, sometimes Christmas. Our school is famous for its Iftar and Annual celebrations. During our Saraswati Puja the entire community is present. Our hard working teachers, talented students and their parents are all a part of a large family. The alumni of this school are spread all over the globe. They have their own identity and they are the best citizens of the country. Today when I see the achievements of the passed out students, their accomplishments and happy family I feel that some of the dreams of Swami Akhilatmananda ji has been fulfilled, which is a great reward for me. This work is so vast that one lifetime is not enough to complete it. In Swami Vivekananda‟s Amrita Mantras there is an Amritvani, “Expansion is life, Contraction is death.” This child of mine, Vivekananda International school is standing there full of love with its arms spread wide that whoever comes here — people of all ages, all religions, all castes and communities have a feeling of oneness which somewhere expands its personality.
Dr. Nidhi Srivastava
Principal
Vivekanand International School
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
