Fate of Telu Bai

Telu Bai was a mysterious character for all the villagers but not me, as I remember the night when Lalu her son was ill and the village doctor was gone to a nearby village. Rahim Kaka called the doctor but there was no way he could come back before tomorrow morning. Rahim kaka is a person who talks to everyone in the village and knows about each and everyone… who is sick, who is gone to the city, whose marriage got fixed and even what special is cooking in someone’s house, can’t be missed by this fastest WIFI of the village. Every Saturday, all the villagers come down to Hanuman Mandir not only to offer their prayers but also to hear Rahim kaka and his interesting and informative stories of the week. He is not very educated but his love to acquire knowledge through observation has made him the google of the village. He is not only knowledgeable but also very kind. His wife Shahana and daughter Mahira too have a big heart. So, that day also when Telu Bai had nowhere to go, Rahim kaka took them to his house. He called Channu Hakim, who is above 90 years and have desi nuskha to cure every disease known. He gave Lalu some powder to take and Shahana Chachi kept wiping his body with water throughout the night without even a uff. The whole night went like that, Telu Bai cannot speak but her voice can be heard out as tears were rolling down from her eyes. 

She came to the village 16 years back, she was helpless with a small Lalu in her hand. No one knows anything about her. Daily she cleans up the village streets and everyone gives her the food. She stays on the Chabutra under a big Banyan tree. All the children are scared about her…they call her a bhootani. She is always a point of curiosity among villagers. There are many stories about her in the village…some say she was cursed and that’s why she lost her voice and left like this to suffer...some say she does magic and with the magic only she got the baby …some say she is sent by hell due to some bad things done by some villagers. I was very curious and wanted to know the exact story behind these stories. You must be wondering who am I .. I’m an orphan, my father was a farmer and a very hard-working man who always wanted to send me to college .. he even sold his entire land to make me a graduate. I studied in Lucknow and one fine day I got a phone from Rahim kaka that my father died due to Jaundice.

Since I was 10 years old, I stayed out of my village, my parents never allowed me to visit the village. I was in a hostel and never saw the hardship seen by my parents. When I came back after my father’s death I was stunned to see the pathetic condition of my village. I got to know how my father could not get a proper medical facility and died. My mother also died suffering. I had to change this situation after graduation I got a nice job in Lucknow but my heart was in my village. I decided to come back. I wrote many letters to the administration and after months of a wait, at last, we got a visiting doctor who is only one in eight close by villages. In the last 2-3 years I have written many letters but thanks to our crawling system we are still struggling with basic things. With the help of an NGO, I could open a small school in the village and started teaching children. Let us go back to Telu Bai…actually, her name is not that...this name is given by villagers to her. She looks unstable to everyone but I think the one who managed for so many years feeding her son just by cleaning cannot be unstable. She was the first who came to my school with her son.

As I was very curious to know the real Telu Bai…I started spending time with her and asked to work in the school to clean up and do other things. She was very happy. I saw the hunger for learning in her. So I thought of teaching her and then things started getting untangled. She wrote and told me that her name was Katyayeni, her mother and father used to work as vegetable sellers in the city. She was 6 sisters and none of them got the chance to go to school. One day she became friends with a girl who used to go to school.

She thought it might be good for her. They used to spend a lot of time together. The girl had a friend with whom she was planning to run away, she asked Telu Bai also and Tellu bai thought it will be good to run away from her present life and explore another side. She thought it will be anyways good for her parents who are struggling to take care of so many daughters. She ran away with both of them in the hope of better life. Unfortunately, the boy was a cheat, her friend got pregnant and the boy ran away. She and her friend survived somehow and during the delivery her friend died. She was all alone with the newborn… shattered. She was on road without food for many days….she fed the newborn whatever she could…God’s miracle that the boy survived. Now the only reason for her existence is Lalu who is very sick. Somehow Chanu chacha’s nushka worked for him and the fever was stable. The next morning doctor came to see Lalu and told them that he is weak and will take some time to gain normal strength…with a proper diet and rest, he will again be cheerful like earlier. These words were God’s word for Telu Bai. That night changed everything for her. Now she got a clear goal in front of her, she made up her mind…she will do whatever possible to make Lalu a doctor.

Her determination and hard work and Lalu’s sincerity is the reason that we have someone from our own who is a doctor. Lalu is a magical boy whose touch and words cure half of the disease. Now when I look back I can't think how the unprecedented situation made Telu Bai a mother. She is the Yashoda and Lalu is like Lord Krishna- the hope of seeing dreams, and inspiration to change. Where am I in the picture…I’m TIME….anything can change and nothing is impossible in life. Hope is the greatest thing!!