Benares Hindu University

The reason we visited the Benares Hindu University, is because my cousins grandmom was one of the first principals there, way back in 1946. And she was apparently a huge influence and role model for my aunt and my mother. So we went.

She was widowed very early, with a two year old son.  She then happened to meet Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was founder of BHU, and motivated by him enrolled in the college. After graduation, she went on to become a lecturer in the same college, and further more to become it's principal.

What a story ....I sure got why she was inspiration.

And it was so wonderful to see her picture on the wall in the principals office, in a long line of principals.... the second from left, K Venkateshwaran.

And dadi, as we all knew her, was also a direct influence on my own grandmother. Also lost her husband at a very young age, and left with a one year old daughter, and when still expecting (my mother). I remember her telling me 'dadi chepaka pothe. naa jeevitham antha kitchen lo chapathilu chesthu undedani' ( if it wasn't for dadi, I would have spent my whole life making chapathis in the kitchen). 

Dadi, who knew Durgabai Deshmukh, the founder of Andhra Mahila Sabha, got my grandmother the job of  hostel warden there, and convinced people at home to let her go work, and that was turning point in her life. She grew to be an independent and confident woman, an inspiration to many, me included. Even after retirement, she lived alone all of thirty two years, by choice, until she passed away two years back. 

This is dadi with Sarojini Naidu, taking the guard of honour in their college, a picture in the BHU heritage hall.

The Heritage Hall of the college........and the two sisters, my aunt and mom.

The heritage hall is another step into history........ old chairs, old fans, old feel....... with huge pictures of Gandhi, Patel, Radhakrishnan, Tagore and others adorning it's walls. You can still feel the air of those times in there.