The moment I saw Leelavati Dadi, I knew I had to help her, come what may. On 30th May, a friend forwarded a video clip of Barkha Dutt interviewing a 70 year old woman. It broke my heart to see her crying helplessly at the Bandra (Mumbai) railway platform. She was a widow from Delhi and had five children. She was in Mumbai to visit her eldest son when the lockdown was announced. But her son threw her out, fearing the corona virus. Her children in Delhi didn’t want her either. She was crying helplessly, not knowing what to do next.
I told my friend to go to the Bandra Station where he found her lying on the platform. I spoke to her briefly and Dadi’s child-like innocence and vulnerability touched a raw nerve in my heart. The next day I concentrated on organising her ticket and with the help of the authorities, finally she got a ticket! I was constantly in touch with her through the day and when she boarded the train, I assured her that I would meet her in Delhi. On 1st June, when I reached the New Delhi railway station, I saw representatives from different NGOs offering her shelter. But when she said, “I’ll go with Kiran”, my heart just melted. Though we had never met before, there was some soul connect. On our way back, we got the mandatory Covid-19 test done.
At home, Dadi gelled well with my family, especially my 2-year old son. I also took Dadi to meet her daughter who had a family of five living in a one BHK house. Meanwhile, Dadi had become a social media sensation and people were eager to meet her. They used to land at my doorstep, even at times when I wasn’t around. I was at a loss… how was I to handle the constant trickle of guests at my place, especially during Covid times? Adding to this, her test results came positive and we immediately admitted her to the hospital. Post discharge, I kept worrying
about how to control the visitors – after all, Dadi was 70+ and a Covid survivor. Dadi was now a public figure and any harm to her would become an issue for us. That’s when I contacted our local politician Sanjay Singh ji. He had initially expressed interest to have her in his house and even now was keen. I knew this was in her best interest and drove her to her new house.
She settled down there in a secure and comfortable place. We miss having her around at home, especially my little one, but we make it a point to visit her every week.
Dadi’s story inspires me every day –after all, isn’t it in our hands to do our bit for the homeless? If each one of us opens our doors to those without a shelter, then there would be no homeless in this world at all!
Kiran Verma
BeingYou ©2020
