Operation Amma

 (A Note on Confidentiality: To protect the privacy and dignity of the lady involved in this case - let's call her 'AMMA' - and the Field Officer - 'Officer K' who pulled off a miracle, all names in this narrative are fictitious. The only real name here is mine - TANU:)

It started with a plastic sheet specifically a half-broken makeshift shelter on the roadside that my mamma had been eyeing for days. Inside lived an elderly woman. 

My mother being the soul she is, started with food and gradually over warm meals the layers of Amma's story peeled back....It was a heartbreaking tragedy - a road accident, an inability to work, an eviction by a landlord who valued rent over humanity and finally the street!

When mamma told me this...SomEthing clicKeD! 

So, I decided to play detective.

I contacted an organization working under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. And as usual I expected to be put on hold....but two days later....I got 'Officer K' on the line who sounded less like a bureaucrat and more like a tactical operations leader. And this is where the adventure began as I became the ground asset. My only job was to gather intel without spooking her from the surroundings. It felt less like social work and more like a covert op as I was feeding information to the 'Elderline' team about her movements in the nearby areas and they were coordinating the logistics.

But there was a hitch...Amma didn't want to go to any ashram.

She had a trauma as she had been in an ashram - 'Maya(fictitious also sounds real) Sadan'(a place supposed to be a sanctuary but turned out to be a nightmare of miserable things.) before. She was terrified that I'm sending her back to hell.

This is where the story gets wild as I didn't just report her need for shelter and her desire for the reunification with her family but reported her past trauma with the 'Maya Sadan'.

The reaction was immediate as Officer K didn't just focus on the rescue but he launched a parallel action. And finally the 'Moh-Maya' of the 'Maya Sadan' came to a halt. It is now under strict surveillance.

And today at 4 PM Amma has been rescued and is currently in a verified old-age home and the team is already in motion to reunite her with her family in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. 

So I'm writing this because this made me realize that perhaps the "Systemic Failure" we complain about is often a "Participation Failure" on our part. The rules exist. The resources are there. The Officer Ks are waiting for the tip-off.


                                                   Dadi apna dhyaan rakhna.....

                                                                        - Tanu ki kalam se

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"My Archimedes Principle"

  My Archimedes Principle   by  Tanu ki Kalam Se... Consider this a letter addressed to a Panchhi. Or maybe, a premonition. I don't know your name yet, but I know who you are. Because you are my pin code. 'My Archimedes Principle' My world was a vessel, heavy with weight, Sinking beneath the burdens of fate. Then you arrived, a current so true, A buoyant force, vibrant and new. So if ever you doubt what you mean to me, Remember the lesson of Archimedes. The upward lift is the weight pushed away, And my spirit rises with you everyday.                                           - Tanu ki Kalam Se...
Read more

Rethinking Governance for a Responsible India

  In a country with one of the world's largest budgets, it is disheartening to see citizens still struggling for the most basic public goods like clean air, safe water, efficient transport, and resilient infrastructure. Every March, a phenomenon known as " March Rush " sweeps through government departments, where unspent funds are hurriedly allocated before the financial year closes. This not only reflects  inefficiency but also the lack of long-term planning in our public expenditure system. So, the issue is not the absence of funds but the absence of foresight and continuity in how those funds are deployed. Equally concerning is our persistent reliance on L1 Bidder Model , where contracts are awarded solely to the lowest bidder. While this may appear fiscally prudent but it often compromises quality, innovation and sustainability. There are various examples of it like Vivekanand Flyover Collapse (Kolkata,2016) , Morbi Bridge Collapse (Gujarat,2022) , Harang Bridge Coll...
Read more

सपनों का क़त्लनामा

  उस बच्चे शूर्य के नाम,  जिसे गलतियों से नहीं,  नियमों से मारा गया.... वो रोज़ जाता था उस कमरे तक जहाँ सलाह लिखी थी दरवाज़े पर उसे शब्द नहीं एक इंसान चाहिए था जो उसकी ख़ामोशी को पढ़े बिना किसी सवाल के। पर हम समाज हैं, हम रंगों के पीछे दौड़ते हैं, ज़ख़्मों से आँखें मोड़ते हैं। हम कहते हैं, “बात करो,” मगर सुनते तब हैं जब कोई आख़िरी बार बोल चुका होता है। वो सितारा था, पर गिरा इसलिए नहीं कि आसमान में जगह कम थी... गिरा इसलिए क्योंकि ज़मीन पर कोई पकड़ने वाला न था। हम हर बार देर से रोते हैं। और हर बार खोने के बाद ही किसी को “अनमोल” कहते हैं। वो स्कूल नहीं, सहारा ढूँढने रोज़ वहाँ आया था, काउंसलिंग के कमरे में नहीं, किसी इंसान के दिल में बसने की चाह लाया था। पर हम नियमों में उलझे रहे, फ़ॉर्म और फ़ाइलें भरते रहे, उसकी आँखें बोलती रहीं, और हम बस सुनते रहे… सुनते रहे। उसकी आँखों में जो शहर था, अब धुँधली-सी सरहदें हैं, जहाँ सपने थे घर अपने, अब खामोश मकबरे खड़े हैं। वो लड़का साँस नहीं .... एक तड़पता हुआ सवाल था, क्यों भविष्य का क़ातिल आज भी “प्रणाली” कहलाए ...
Read more