Meet the two sisters-basamma-and-shantamma

I walk over heaps of jellystones and sand into this building that’s under construction and ask the women if I can take photos, when the man in the brown shirt (in the centre of the second photograph) enthusiastically butts in: “yenu? yenu?” he asks, most willing to help me, agreeing on behalf of these women. He mediates most of my conversation with them for the following five minutes, as they daintily zig-zag their way between the first and second floor, hovering around a little more than usual to give faint replies to my questions or hear what that the man has to offer.
Basamma and Shantamma are sisters, who seem to be living parallel lives, a couple of years apart from each other. The older one is estimated to be about 26-27 years old, whereas the younger one is 25-26; the former got married ten years ago, the latter followed two years later. They both are mothers of two sons each, but Basamma sets herself apart from her sister in this respect by also having a daughter.
They say assuredly that all the children go to school in a town called Kushtagi in the Bellary district of Karnataka, where the sisters originally hail from.
Both of their husbands work on the same construction site as them (the man in the red shirt, seen in the second photograph is Basamma’s husband – Dodappa).
Not only this, they even wear identical bangles, head-gear and an air of timidity that prevented me from hearing their stories in their own voices.

The young face of the Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust, Niska is a dynamic well-travelled advertising professional with a post graduate degree from London, UK. She grew up with the social ethics that her parents and grandparents believed in and even as a young child, used to accompany her mother to the various 4S Foundation projects. As gen next of Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust with a forward thinking global perspective, she is looking to expand the reach of the Foundation into new areas. She feels especially passionately about new-age projects like alternative energy for villages, eco friendly industries and sustainability programmes.

A very successful corporate Image Consultant, who lived in Africa and the Middle East. A personal tragedy, the loss of her surgeon husband, forced her to step out of her secure comfort zone and become a financially independent woman, capable of providing her three children with a secure future. A dynamic Rotarian and Founder Director of The Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust, her goal is to enable young women to fend for themselves and become productive members of society. In a world where so many urgent social problems need tackling, she believes that pooling resources, partnering with like-minded, influential individuals and involving them in social change projects is really the smart way forward.

Subbarao, a highly successful corporate head, also wore many different hats over the course of his illustrious life and career. He was many things to many people. Influential CEO of a multinational company, caring husband and father, Sai baba devotee, composer of popular hymns and bhajans, author of a devotional book and co founder of the 4S Foundation which was later renamed Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust. He passed away in the mid-2000’s but the work he started in collaboration with his wife and daughter lives on.

Lalitha Subbarao is the inspiration behind the Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust. Armed with a strong social conscience and a broad based global education (Masters from Ohio State University, USA) plus a deep desire to help disadvantaged women, her dream is now being realized through the efforts of the Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust. Lalitha was a woman of substance who worked quietly and steadily towards the betterment of those around her. Besides being a role model to her children, she authored and published two books–Nanu Mattu America in Kannada (America and I) describing her student life there in the mid 1950’s and a comprehensive book – Festivals of India. She rightly believed that women must be educated, empowered and financially independent. An educated wife and mother would in turn be a strong positive influence in the family and society at large, just as she was. Her legacy is carried on by the Lalitha Subbarao Nanjundayya Memorial Trust.