Aai

Written by Shivani Jadhav, Creative Empowerment Batch 3

 “हॅलो शिवानी! माझा प्लीझ एक काम करशील? यांचा बरोबर मी धनादेश पाठवले आहे, ते बँकेत जमा  करशील?” (Hello Shivani! Can you do me a favour? I have sent a cheque with Sir, can you please deposit it in the bank?) Confused, I called Vinaya to ask what exactly am I supposed to do. dhanadesh is cheque in pure Marathi clarified Vinaya after mocking me for not knowing! Aai’s commendable fluency in Marathi can be credited to her working at Dnyan Prabodhini in the Santrika department. It is the conversation I remember I had with Aai back in around 2015-16 when I started interning at Vinaya’s father’s law office in Pune. What began as a friendship over shared study notes quickly turned into a special bond. I would frequently visit their home to enjoy lovely meals prepared by Aai and Vinaya.

Aai came to Pune after her marriage from Kopargaon in Maharashtra. She started working at Dnyan Prabodhini shortly after Vinaya was born. Vinaya’s aunt wanted to apply for a position but couldn’t draft an application so Aai wrote it for her. While applying she thought of giving it a try herself and got selected! Even though she started working coincidentally, in retrospect she attributes her personality development and self confidence to this educational institution. Not only did the job give her financial independence but also developed her understanding of the society and a positive perspective to life. This she says is the reason why she has been working there for 27 years. She says previously she struggled to talk but over the years she developed the confidence to hold a conversation with people from all walks of life. When I asked her about what is the one thing or choice in her past that she would want to change, she said she always postponed her wishes to spend on herself for clothes and travelling as life struggles and other’s needs took priority. Given a chance she would definitely pamper herself more and travel a lot. However, she says she has now learned to embrace the moment and enjoy it to the fullest. Through an institution where she works which is socially conscious, she wishes to continue contributing in her small ways to the society and country.. 

From just being my friend’s mother and Sir’s wife, I have developed immense admiration towards Aai over the past years. Her sincerity to work, her soft heart, caring words, love for eating and cooking for others; and most importantly her resilience is what I adore. 

Aai was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and is currently recovering with smiling eyes!