Met Saraswati, a compassionate person on the footpath at Lalbaugh.

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  • Met Saraswati, a compassionate person on the footpath at Lalbaugh.

I stood on the footpath that hugs the Lalbagh compound, as heaps of traffic passed by in the form of trails of smoke or streaks of brightening red and yellow as the grey light on that clouded day disappeared.

I was caught completely unaware when Saraswathi approached me to ask what I was doing. ‘You’ve been here a while!’ She says, ‘I’ve been noticing you’. I tell her I’m just waiting for some people to show up for us to take some pictures. “Tell them to come fast” she urges, her lips quivering- “call them!” “They’ll be here in a few minutes,” I assure her, reasoning why I’m not going to make that phone call despite her insistence that’s accompanied by several gestures pointing to my phone.

Finally somewhat convinced, she goes on to telling me to be careful with my equipment- a tripod, reflector and camera bag rest against bbmp painted walls. ‘I’ve seen how it is around here’, she explains,’ people steal even if you’re not looking for a minute’.

Then, switching topic, she rattles off the names of her daughters- there are three of them, and they all work in garment factories, leaving their children at home for their grandmother to take care of them. She also helps her husband out with selling snacks like boiled corn outside the Lalbagh gate; between this and her grandchildren and cooking for the entire family, her day is packed.

I ask her if she has any sons. “No,” she says, looking a little dismayed.
“Are you sad about that? Did you want sons?”
“I did want, but God gave me daughters, so I will do the best that I can for them.”

Our conversation is interrupted by the arrival of my colleagues for the day.

Relieved that I’m not alone, she seems ready to leave now. I thank her repeatedly, the kindness and warmth of this interaction setting in only at this moment.

She offers me a boiled corn cob, mildly seasoned with chili powder and salt. It felt more like a parting gift than a formality.

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.