Mahtma Gandhi High School
- a school for orphans and socially disadvantaged children in Bhubaneswar
The month of April brought another academic year to its end. Those inmates of MGHS who had a known family were preparing to go home. Uncle John, who is the de-facto superintendent of MGHS, called Ramachandra Ghadei- Ramu- to his cabin for a last minute chat.
Ramu came from a very poor family. He had lost his father when he was only one. His mother ran the family by doing odd jobs and she brought home soiled clothes from a nearby hotel to do the laundry to supplement her meager earnings.
Ramu studied through class – I to class XII in MGHS. Ramu was a bit sad that such a long association with the only educational institute that he knew, till that day, was coming to an end. Yet, he had a strange sense of elation. He was especially happy; for, he was consistently good in his studies, since the beginning, and had done well in his class – XII exams and was dreaming to go into an engineering collage, on a free seat on merit, after school. Uncle John and other teachers were expecting Ramu to come among the first ten successful students of the entire state and bring special recognition for him and also the institution- MGHS.
Uncle John asked Ramu: “Do you know where your mother works?"
The youth nodded his head; conveying the message that he knew and looked down as he thought it was a shame that his mother worked as a maid and also washed clothes for a hotel to run the family.
Uncle John asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”
Uncle John said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's feet and hands after she is done for the day. If you find them dry and needing some care ask her if you’d apply some oil on her palms, and then tell me about your experience after the vacation.”
I did not sound strange to Ramu; for, Uncle John was known for such considerations.
On that night, after having reached at his village, Ramu remembered the promise made to Uncle John and when his mother retired to be after finishing her work Ramu asked his mother to let him clean her feet and hands.
For the mother it was a surprise, she protested but as Ramu was also adamant she showed her feet and then her hands. When Ramu touched his mother she felt strange and was very happy for her only child.
The youth cleaned his mother's feet and hands slowly. As he did that tears started rolling through his cheeks. It was for the first time he really noticed how calloused his mother's feet and hands were! There were so many bruises in her feet and hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with warm water.After gently cleaning the limbs he applied some mustard oil on those and did that with great care and affection.
The youth realized that it was these pairs of hands and feet that washed the clothes everyday and then carried them to the hotel to enable him to study at a school. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his upward movement in the social ladder.
That night, after finishing the cleaning and massaging of his mother's hands and feet, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. While the mother slept quietly after the loving massage, which was a first time experience for her and which she would not trade for all the wealth on earth, the son looked at the empty sky and kept on gazing for a very long time, being in a deep contemplative mood.
On the following day, despite his mother's protestations the son made her agree to his suggestion and he delivered the cleaned clothes and collected that day's supply on behalf of his mother.
- a school for orphans and socially disadvantaged children in Bhubaneswar
The month of April brought another academic year to its end. Those inmates of MGHS who had a known family were preparing to go home. Uncle John, who is the de-facto superintendent of MGHS, called Ramachandra Ghadei- Ramu- to his cabin for a last minute chat.
Ramu came from a very poor family. He had lost his father when he was only one. His mother ran the family by doing odd jobs and she brought home soiled clothes from a nearby hotel to do the laundry to supplement her meager earnings.
Ramu studied through class – I to class XII in MGHS. Ramu was a bit sad that such a long association with the only educational institute that he knew, till that day, was coming to an end. Yet, he had a strange sense of elation. He was especially happy; for, he was consistently good in his studies, since the beginning, and had done well in his class – XII exams and was dreaming to go into an engineering collage, on a free seat on merit, after school. Uncle John and other teachers were expecting Ramu to come among the first ten successful students of the entire state and bring special recognition for him and also the institution- MGHS.
Uncle John asked Ramu: “Do you know where your mother works?"
The youth nodded his head; conveying the message that he knew and looked down as he thought it was a shame that his mother worked as a maid and also washed clothes for a hotel to run the family.
Uncle John asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”
Uncle John said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's feet and hands after she is done for the day. If you find them dry and needing some care ask her if you’d apply some oil on her palms, and then tell me about your experience after the vacation.”
I did not sound strange to Ramu; for, Uncle John was known for such considerations.
On that night, after having reached at his village, Ramu remembered the promise made to Uncle John and when his mother retired to be after finishing her work Ramu asked his mother to let him clean her feet and hands.
For the mother it was a surprise, she protested but as Ramu was also adamant she showed her feet and then her hands. When Ramu touched his mother she felt strange and was very happy for her only child.
The youth cleaned his mother's feet and hands slowly. As he did that tears started rolling through his cheeks. It was for the first time he really noticed how calloused his mother's feet and hands were! There were so many bruises in her feet and hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with warm water.After gently cleaning the limbs he applied some mustard oil on those and did that with great care and affection.
The youth realized that it was these pairs of hands and feet that washed the clothes everyday and then carried them to the hotel to enable him to study at a school. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his upward movement in the social ladder.
That night, after finishing the cleaning and massaging of his mother's hands and feet, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. While the mother slept quietly after the loving massage, which was a first time experience for her and which she would not trade for all the wealth on earth, the son looked at the empty sky and kept on gazing for a very long time, being in a deep contemplative mood.
On the following day, despite his mother's protestations the son made her agree to his suggestion and he delivered the cleaned clothes and collected that day's supply on behalf of his mother.
