Maya Di , the water lady

 

( This is a fictional account of a lady who dispensed water in a suburban school in 80s decade . She may have been , however , inspired by real life characters )

 

Some heroes wear capes , most don’t .

The lady I am about to talk about was not rich , educated or powerful . She was just a kind soul full of such benevolence that she gave unconditional love to an entire generation of school children . She is still  talked about at every school reunion . Thirty years later , people still remember her soft heartedness and her simple ability to give .

She was the “water lady “ .

 In the days of yore , when electric coolers didn’t exist , or were prohibitively expensive , she just sat in a designated corner of the school verandah , offering colored plastic glasses of water to all and sundry .

She smiled at all , was infinitely patient and served everyone without fail . A budding entrepreneur or a kindergarten kid struggling with his  alphabets , both received the same degree of attention .

Then , she listened . She just sat weepy teenagers down , in her spare room , and listened to their angst ridden stories . No solutions , no backbiting, no relaying or replaying stories back and forth , just plain old  attention and  a  heart large enough . To her , everyone was important .

 Boy , had she opened up her heart , bestsellers could’ve been written , I am sure of that .

Clad in an off white saree , Mayadi sat in a shady corner of the school . All roads led to her . There must have been a magical charisma in her character . I don’t remember too many teachers , being showered with same degree of affection .

Every birthday child would rush to her to show off his or her new dress . She was offered the first toffee , first slice of cake , first potato puff .

She had a toothless grin of the elderly . A smile so charming , that even the principal would quote her “ you are getting an off tomorrow because Maya di requested “, rest of the speech would drown in a volley of screams .

 

When the Electricity operated water cooler was installed on each floor , teenagers raised money for Maya di . With the help of school authorities , a tiny room on the ground floor , next to the nursery , was assigned for  Maya Di . She became in charge of the “Lost and found “ .

With a memory so sharp and exact , Maya di knew which stationery or water bottle or tiffin  belonged to whom . There was no question of theft or wrong identity .

“Lost a ruler ?” Go ask Maya di .

“ Left your satchel at school ?” Don’t worry , Maya di has kept it safe.

“ So and so misplaced  an umbrella ?” Maya di certainly has it , kept safe for you .

Maya di had a tragic past . Like all great souls . She was married young to a village good-for-nothing , in a forgotten place and time . She lost her husband shortly after her marriage to a drunken brawl on the streets . Her in laws , not willing or unable  to feed another mouth , showed her the door . Her own family lived far off , ill informed , not bothered , hand to mouth existences .

Then , Maya di did something remarkable . As they say , our circumstances shape us . So she decided to work .

 She said” God had given me arms and a head , and hunger and thirst , I was sure He would provide for me too . “

In the places , she had lived earlier , a woman working for her living was considered a pariah . So , she set out . She walked for days on end , in scorching sun , under the rain filled monsoon sky , winds whistling in her ears .

Till ,one day ,  she was found by the Church door , burning with fever , dehydrated , malnourished . Father must have seen the spark in her , and employed her for cleaning the church . She earned a small pittance , “ enough to keep the body and soul together “ and stayed .

 For years , she would sweep the church cemetery . courtyard , gathered fallen leaves , Cleaned the brass artifacts till they shone , dusted cobwebs off the crucifixion , Climbed up the outer walls on a ladder , her saree bunched between her legs and dusted the Pieta , polishing it later with a wet cloth , till both Mother Mary and fallen Jesus gleamed in the evening sunshine .

She used to say later “ when all had forsaken me , Jesus took me under his wings . I am just repaying .”

When a new school was opened , years later , Maya Di of course , had to be roped in .

She loved us with all her heart , and the school reciprocated , right back .

Then one day , a case happened . In our collective memory , it was” The Case . “

A rich girl , as rich kids are wont to , carried a princely sum of money and lost it on the school premises . Weeping inconsolably , she went to staff room to complain .

The school was held back . Everyone’s bag was searched . That meant searching a roughly 1000 bags . No money was found . It had just disappeared .

 Till , Maya di stepped in .

The rich girl had been seen giving the said amount to some kind of shady person on the basketball court and the person had quickly disappeared .

The girl  was brought to the Father Matthew’s office and questioned . The answer rattled the authorities , and her parents were summoned .  The girl accepted her mistake and was penalized . She had to apologize to the school at the next morning assembly and  clarify matters .

Maya di got a nickname thereafter . She was called the School CCTV .

Nothing escaped her sharp eyes . She knew which child has been bunking classes , which child takes way too many bathroom breaks to sneak a smoke in the washroom  . She had an uncanny ability to detect liars in a roomful of innocent faces . Though this ability of hers made her more powerful and indispensable in the eyes of the authorities , it also made her fearsome and respected ,amongst the kids .

Everyone behaved in a crowded area , no pushing or shoving . Maya di knew exactly who shoved whom into the flowerbed of poppies , or who plucked the last of Father Mathew’s favorite black  roses .

Earlier she was the slaker of thirst and listener of problems , now she had become the nemesis of trouble makers and a power to reckon with .

But , time marched on , and Maya Di grew older . She walked with a stick , and  retired eventually.

There was a proper school ceremony held at her retirement . College going kids , businessmen , powerful politicians and  housewives , tiny kids whose lives she had touched years ago , turned up to bid her adieu .

A simple “water lady “ who had  conquered a mountain of hearts .

 

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