When Dreams Have Wings

Every human society in history has been found to be faulty. It is iniquitous, and therefore needs to be changed for the better. The process of change can be sudden and violent as is brought upon the society by a revolution or it could be gentle and gradual as is initiated by social reforms through legislation and opinion formation by its leaders. The debate of Reforms versus Revolution is almost as ancient as time itself. There are votaries of both sides. There is also great dichotomy between the inherent strength of women and the stature assigned to them in our society. Indian society is no exception to the rule of every society being unjust and imbalanced. The divide between the haves and the have-nots is seemingly unbridgeable. There have been great social reformers in India as well as great revolutionaries. There is a niche for both in the social milieu of our country. This book is about some contemporary reformers, if you want to call them that, in India. They are all women, very talented, committed to their cause and very successful in achieving the goals that they set for themselves. They have dreams not only for themselves but for the world around them. They have pursued their dreams relentlessly to make a difference and to change, not only their own world, but the world of many more. Shoma has written this fascinating book of miniature biographies or thumbnail sketches. Reading the stories was an exciting experience. It was as if she was a magician who gently lifted her top hat and let the hidden fireflies out in the air. All these luminous fireflies have plenty in common. They are all very well educated women, coming from traditional Indian middle class families. They are fired by the spark of repaying to society the debt of gratitude for what they have received from society in such abundance. It is as if they all have intimations of their own mortality and want to leave their footprints on the shifting sands of time. They will be remembered for the deeds of transformation and altruism that they embarked upon, often giving up lucrative careers, and the courage with which they followed their passions. They broke away from the comfort of well settled careers and family life to answer the call of their inner voice. Seven extraordinary women from different walks of life, who epitomize strength and courage to stand up for what they believe in, feature in this book. Ushy Mohandas hails from Trichur, Kerala; Madhu Singhal from Rohatak, Haryana; Shukla Bose and Neha Singh from Calcutta; Zulfia Shaikh from Mumbai; Rashmi Misra from Delhi; and the outstanding para-athlete Malathi Holla from Bangalore. They all, with the exception of Neha Singh, who lives in UK, currently live in Bangalore. They are passionate about achieving the goals that they have set for themselves. Behind the success of all these women are supportive families, spouses, and children. But, above all, their conviction in themselves and their dreams have enabled them to achieve what they have in their respective fields. They all work for empowering children, women and/or youth in our country. All these change agents have invested their lives, energies, careers and, in some cases, their hard earned personal savings, in shaping the future generations of nascent India. The multiplier effect of these success stories is bound to be phenomenal. To women like them, the nation owes great appreciation. After all, every drop of effort in the ocean of social change and development counts. Shukla Bose set up Parikrma Humanity Foundation which runs best in class English medium schools for the very poor and gives them the opportunity to realize their potential to the fullest. At the peak of her corporate career, she abandoned a very prestigious and lucrative position in the hospitality industry to do something more meaningful to help others. She then went on to invest all her life’s savings and started Parikrma schools for underprivileged, slum children. Madhu Singhal, herself visually impaired, has set up and runs an NGO called Mitra Jyothi which works on educating and mainstreaming visually impaired people and people with other disabilities. She has been working relentlessly for her fraternity of differently-abled people so that they can become independent and lead a productive life with dignity. To this end, she has set up many programs to enable differently-abled people to get access to education and training so that they can get jobs and become socially, physically and financially self-sufficient. Rashmi Misra, married to an IIT Delhi Professor, while living in the beautiful gated community of the lush green IIT campus, was appalled by the poverty and desperation in the lives of children living just on the other side of the wall. She was determined to do something about this almost obscene disparity and started a school right inside the IIT campus, taking help from other faculty wives and student volunteers. From the first school that started on her verandah, till date, she has dedicated her life to the education and empowerment of women, children and youth and transformed many lives. Today, she has volunteers from all over the world and, in the 29 years since the inception of the first school, her organization, VIDYA, has touched hundreds of thousands of lives for the better. Ushy Mohandas, who hails from a matriarchal family of Kerala, known for its tradition of very strong women heading households, is a crusader against any kind of injustice that she comes across. She has chosen the thorny path of fighting against corruption at the highest levels, for which she pays a price but still does not give up. She juggles multiple careers successfully and still has time to help all who need her support. She also helps her uncle run a school for special children in Calicut, Kerala.