‘This is hamesha home’

In the decade after the 1960s a gentler world allowed children to press their small noses against the ldquoviewing galleryrdquo glass of Santacruz Airport Waving to passengers till they actually entered the plane door we would return home admiring the large ldquolollipopsrdquo lining that highway named after the distinguished diplomat Ali Yavar Jung Bearing unique images of bright birds and flowers these ad hoardings funded the activities of the National Society for Clean Cities NSCCIndiaThe remarkable woman behind this organisation was Begum Zehra Ali Yavar Jung whose contributions to civic and humanitarian issues still light up thousandsof livesBorn in 1920 the daughter of Nawab and Begum Mahdi Yar Jung enjoyed a sheltered upbringing in their Hyderabad ancestral home Mehdi Manzil Educated at the Mahbubia Girls School Zehra finished her schooling from Southlands in Harrow She pitched into the sociopolitical circuit at the age of 19 marrying Nawab Ali Yavar Jung then Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Information and Broadcasting in the Hyderabad government Indiarsquos ambassador to Argentina Egypt Yugoslavia France and the US Nawab Jung was eventually Governor of MaharashtraThe inauguration of work at the Childrenrsquos Complex in 1972 with the kids of Kherwadirsquos slumsDedicating the power of privilege to public service like few others Begum Jung first interacted with female detainees in Hyderabad prisons and was President of the Womenrsquos Workshop an organisation providing employment to destitute women The youngest to lead the Hyderabad Girl Guides as State Commissioner she evolved new programmes meeting national aspirationsAlso read Mumbai Student from Gujarat held for threat emails to AmbaniThe conscience shining within reflected in her luminous beauty In his book AntiMemoirs the French statesman Andre Malraux referred to ldquothe ambassadorrsquos wife with clear grey eyes looking like heroines of Indian tales who with the grace of a gazelle could easily have inspired the builders of the Taj MahalrdquoBegum Jung was fortunate to witness such epochal global events as Eva Peronrsquos death days after the Jungs reached Buenos Aires and the Suez crisis in Egypt The Jungs were friends of President Nasser of Egypt and President Tito of Yugoslavia besides being acquainted with President de Gaulle in ParisThe Jungs with their children Azeez Asad and KulsumArriving in Bombay in 1970 for her husbandrsquos governorship she was pained to observe the squalid living conditions its poorest endured Determined to make a difference she founded the NSCC in the rough Kherwadi slums of east BandraldquoShe believed in starting with the young to improve mattersrdquo says her daughterinlaw Hasmina Khan president of the National Council and NSCC complex ldquoShe was my companion for over 25 years We spent evenings chatting unravelling the interesting times she lived through where history unfolded There were key learnings from hermdashattend to detail in whatever you take on give of yourself to the distressed be a good listener She was a confidante to many by virtue of these qualities Because of her insistence on the secular fabric of the organisation the word rsquoreligionrsquo isnrsquot on our admission formrdquoSetting up the Kherwadi complex in 1972 Begum Jung devised an exceptional 11point Programme of Good Citizenship to inspire children The list read integrity courage consideration for others observance of rules and regulations respect for the property of others cleanliness of person and the environment respect for religion language and customs different to onersquos own dignity of labour pride in work appreciation and conservation of nature understanding and compassion for the handicapped Despite her best efforts for the inclusion of these fundamentals in the national school curriculum successive governments shelved the planZehra Ali Yavar Jung in the 1970s having arrived in Bombay with her Governor husbandThe Kherwadi building was designed by IM Kadri Much goodwill was also garnered from industry captains including JRD Tata Keshub Mahindra Soli Godrej and Jamshed Bhabha His Holiness Dr Syedna Burhanuddin as well as municipal officials corporators and ward committees The NSCC centres opened at Ghatkopar and Khar Danda in the 1980s are currently run by the YMCAldquoCharming and yet tough my mother got difficult work done being dignified and nicerdquo says neurologist Dr Asad Khan ldquoShe teamed together a few dedicated people to great result with local officers cooperating Kind to the deserving outspoken when compelled to be she was judicious in conversation and avoided grandstandingrdquoThe nurturing ambience of the Kherwadi complex is a safe oasis in the middle of miles of poverty and deprivation which characterise the neighbouring bustees the three to fiveyearolds from these bustees form a majority of its 352 students Parent profiles range from domestic helps and drivers to peons and policemen relieved at affording the minimal feesA tailoring class in session PicShadab KhanOver half a century the NSCC complex has raised generations of children confidently transitioning to mainstream schools Education is offered through balwadi teaching in Hindi Marathi and English in addition to art music and dance for older children A flourishing computer centre offers basic to advanced courses Ideas for music classes initially flowed from composer maestro Naushad and kathak dance was encouraged by Waheeda Rehman trained by Lachhu Maharaj Acutely mindful of the neglect of the girl child for whose rights she campaigned tirelessly Begum Jung focused on the women of the locality introducing skilloriented courses for them in tailoring fashion design mehendi bridal makeup and spoken English Amita Bhosale vocational training incharge says ldquoFrom school fees and remedial teaching to sewing machines and milk sponsors donate items women and children need Those with abusive husbands or spouses with addiction problems are especially desperate to earnrdquoThese incomegenerating opportunities have helped innumerable disadvantaged women to realise their potentialmdashevident from the turnout at the annual Womenrsquos Day function when beneficiaries share moving success stories Hearteningly fathers are familiar figures at PTA meetings some saying ldquoWe too spent our happiest years hererdquo Invited to an event an alumnusmdashnow heading a Mumbai University departmentmdashsaid ldquoThis is where dreams are realisedrdquoThe art room buzzes with prep in the weeks before an exhibition at the Nehru Centre where paintings by the children will be showcased as part of the complexrsquos golden jubilee from November 1420 Bold brush strokes cover every inch of table and floor Crafting greeting cards diyas Warli prints and portraits youngsters colour metal kettles in twotoned creativityldquoOur children have won 3756 prizesrdquo says Vijaya Parker who has helmed this department for 40 years Vikrant Sahani from the Childrenrsquos Complex is one of two Indians who have won the Always Blue Always Green international painting competition organised in Poland Swirling in her birthday frock sixyearold Aayat shyly accepts congratulations for topping the Camlin art contest ldquoOften from deprived family backgrounds in places like Behrampada the kids experience art as therapy At 5 pm they hate going homemdashmuh chhota bana dete hainrdquo Parker explains ldquoThey are more motivated to learn than privileged kids Irsquove taught earlierrdquo says Head Teacher Clara Lobo in a class where kindergarteners sing and prepare for a dictation test ldquoCurious as anything they ask lsquoWhatrsquos nextrsquordquo Prioritising medical facilities the dispensaryrsquos doctors and Sandhya Mestry the compounder for close to 50 years can be consulted for advice on sick malnourished and special needs childrenEveryone seems to stay on The gardeners Dattu and Jaisingh have for 36 years Here since she was a baby Deepa Achari who heads administration and banking declares ldquoThis is hamesha homerdquoThe way it is for Sarita Nawalkar Though she has joined recently as director she says ldquoThe centre has transformed me after a corporate career in media With minimal red tape and a treasurer who is our backbone our founderrsquos vision is being fulfilled and taken to the next levelrdquoBegum Jungrsquos farsightedness indeed impacted wide and deep Chairing the Visitors Board of the JJ Hospital in the rsquo70s she was shocked at its appalling condition Providing a new hostel for Grant Medical College students she ensured running water for neonatal and paediatric wards and the statersquos premier hospital got a coat of paint four decades after Independence She commissioned an independent enquiry into the hospitalrsquos issues led by Dr Surinder Pruthi of IIM Ahmedabad The thorough report with farsighted recommendations was sadly unimplementedWhile Mumbai fights to save threatened green lungs like the Aarey Forest Patwardhan Park and Malabar Hill it is poignant recalling her allegiance to Sunderlal Bahugunarsquos Chipko Andolan This passionate involvement reaped tree planting drives which gained momentum across the cityldquoShe was a green ahead of her time knowledgeable about everything botanicalrdquo marvels her son Azeez Mehdi Khan a retired IAS officer ldquoI once saw a dishevelled little girl spring from under a hedge bordering the Kherwadi complex Spotting me on this side of the fence she froze in fright She was about to run to the building just wanting a meal Catching sight of my mother in the distance she sprinted towards her reassured We never knew of all the causes Mummy quietly supportedrdquo His sister Kulsum Dubash president emeritus of the NSCC adds ldquoWhatever my mother undertook had to be of qualityrdquo In 1976 Begum Jung received the richly merited Padma Bhushan for social work Having lost her husband in December that year she spearheaded the Ali Yavar Jung Institute for the Hearing Handicapped This is the Central Government National Institute today training teachers for the hearing impaired with affiliated units in Kolkata Delhi Secunderabad and Bhubaneshwar I prepare to leave when a pair of vans pulls up carrying the nutritious midday dalchaawal meal courtesy SunnSand Hotel As staffers begin unloading them we stroll through the garden lush with bougainvillea bowers mango and mulberry trees an avocado patch and groves laden with lemons and bananas And Hasmina Khan puts it ldquoItrsquos been an extraordinary journey and a legacy to nurture and fulfillrdquoAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom