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Journalism of Courage
My Daddy sent me a raincoat,’’ 13-year-old Rajeshri says softly. But daddy’s no more, a neighbour gently reminds. ‘‘But he did. In August, he’d asked my aunt in Wadala to buy it and she sent it last week. So I feel daddy sent it,’’ Rajeshri replies.
Nearly three months after losing both parents — flower-sellers Saki and Hanumanta Yadav — on Black Monday, Rajeshri Yadav finally breaks down openly. ‘‘Mummy-papa ki yaad aa rahi hai,’’ she cries.
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• SAVITA, the oldest: This 15-year-old is having fun learning numbers and the alphabet from local college students, besides stitching • RAJESHRI, sensitive, still shaken: The 13-year-old is class monitor and is discovering she likes mathematics • BHARTI, the bundle of enthusiasm: All of six years, she’s cleared her first term exams. ‘‘I will soon be a doctor,’’ she grins • RADHA, the quietest: The four-year-old is still getting used to the pencil, though she knows the alphabet and numerals orally • NARSU, the family clown: The three-year-old has finally accepted there’s no way out of school |
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Her siblings pretend not to notice the tears. They continue scribbling in their little notebooks. ‘‘Don’t know what’s with her today,’’ elder sister Savita (15) mumbles.
But these are occasional breakdowns; the Yadav siblings are moving on. After The Indian Express wrote about these Ulhasnagar children — Savita, Rajeshri, Bharti (6), Radha (4) and Narsu (3) — there was a flood of offers to help: Cathedral and John Connon School decided to fund their education and the kids enrolled in Welfare High School, Ulhasnagar; besides the state government’s compensation package, they also received financial assistance from the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front.
Last Saturday, the results of their first exams were declared. The girls cleared the exams. Amidst all the banter, Rajeshri remembers something. ‘‘Our school is taking the students for a picnic to Karjat in December,’’ she exclaims, wiping her tears.
