This is about an unknown lady i happened to came across, when i along with my friends was on my way to Chandigarh for Infosys placement drive on 6th September 2011.
It was a good going journey with lots of fun and masti as expected with friends. But it added some one in my memory, whom i can never forget. It was around 8 at the evening our bus stopped at a road side DHABA come tea stall at highway..... so all of us decided to have a sip of tea at the place & likewise we all ordered some tea... but there i noticed a woman around 30 to 35 of age managing the dhaba and co-workers. but looking to her i found her not like any un-educated woman, running tea stall day & night at highway.... the way she was talking was really impressive... after a very small conversation about number of tea and money each one of us left the counter and make them-self comfortable at chairs... but i felt to talk to her some more... i stayed at the counter. I felt a bit concerned and asked the lady that its getting really late so where was her home and at what time she leave the place... she says that she is from chandigarh and at times when its late she stays at Dhaba. Then i notice a small and cute small boy of around 5 yrs with her, that was her only Child.
There after she start talking to me and inquired about us, from where we are etc etc... I told everything to her... She was smiling to see us.. i asked the reason, n i was surprised to come to know that she is actually a M.A , B Ed woman and presently working as a teacher in government.
then i astonishingly asked her the reason behind working there... where its not required for her to manage a Dhaba at such a time at national highway....
then she handed my tea to me and i continued to listen her. then she said that unfortunately she is a widow woman and now remarried. She was a very happy woman once in her earlier family life with her husband and child, but one day he meet with an accident and everything got destroyed for her. It was extremely sad and again very unexpected to know all this, my eyes were literally filled with water that time.. she further added that, after the death of her husband c started staying with her father who soon forced him for remarriage, initially she denied but later out of extreme compulsion she agreed for it.
and now her husband does not treat her & her 5 yrs old son well and fight with her. And so she is compelled to work and manage this Dhaba place after school hours by him, which she cant deny.
I was actually in hidden tears to come across her story and realize the hardship of life many Indian women are facing even after being self-employed and well educated and adjusting and fighting with life, at every another corner. i was speechless for about 30 sec after which she told me to have my tea before it gets colder.
I salute this great woman for her endurance, fighting with life beyond her knowledge, education and comfort zone.
I had my tea with so much running about her in my mind at that point of time and before going to my bus i greet her with a concern bye.writer : Akanksha Gupta
