05 November,2023 04:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia
Art department head Vijaya Parker, vocational training in-charge Amita Bhosale, Director Sarita Nawalkar and President Hasmina Khan at the NSCC Children’s Complex. Pic/Shadab Khan
In the decade after the 1960s, a gentler world allowed children to press their small noses against the "viewing gallery" glass of Santacruz Airport. Waving to passengers till they actually entered the plane door, we would return home, admiring the large "lollipops" 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 (NSCC)-India.
The remarkable woman behind this organisation was Begum Zehra Ali Yavar Jung, whose contributions to civic and humanitarian issues still light up thousands
of lives.
Born 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 socio-political circuit at the age of 19, marrying Nawab Ali Yavar Jung, then Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Information and Broadcasting in the Hyderabad government. India's ambassador to Argentina, Egypt, Yugoslavia, France and the US, Nawab Jung was eventually Governor of Maharashtra.
Dedicating 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 Women's 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 aspirations.
Also read: Mumbai: Student from Gujarat held for threat emails to Ambani
The conscience shining within reflected in her luminous beauty. In his book Anti-Memoirs, the French statesman Andre Malraux referred to "the ambassador's 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 Mahal."
Begum Jung was fortunate to witness such epochal global events as Eva Peron's 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 Paris.
Arriving in Bombay in 1970 for her husband's 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 Bandra.
"She believed in starting with the young to improve matters," says her daughter-in-law Hasmina Khan, president of the National Council and NSCC complex. "She 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 her - attend 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 'religion' isn't on our admission form."
Setting up the Kherwadi complex in 1972, Begum Jung devised an exceptional 11-point 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 one's 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 plan.
The 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 YMCA.
"Charming and yet tough, my mother got difficult work done being dignified and nice," says neurologist Dr Asad Khan. "She 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 grandstanding."
The 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 five-year-olds 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 fees.
Over 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 skill-oriented courses for them in tailoring, fashion design, mehendi, bridal make-up and spoken English. Amita Bhosale, vocational training in-charge, says, "From 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 earn."
These income-generating opportunities have helped innumerable disadvantaged women to realise their potential - evident from the turnout at the annual Women's Day function, when beneficiaries share moving success stories.
Hearteningly, fathers are familiar figures at PTA meetings, some saying, "We too spent our happiest years here." Invited to an event, an alumnus - now heading a Mumbai University department - said, "This is where dreams are realised."
The 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 complex's golden jubilee, from November 14-20. Bold brush strokes cover every inch of table and floor. Crafting greeting cards, diyas, Warli prints and portraits, youngsters colour metal kettles in two-toned creativity.
"Our children have won 3,756 prizes," says Vijaya Parker, who has helmed this department for 40 years. Vikrant Sahani from the Children's 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, six-year-old Aayat shyly accepts congratulations for topping the Camlin art contest.
"Often from deprived family backgrounds in places like Behrampada, the kids experience art as therapy. At 5 pm they hate going home - muh chhota bana dete hain," Parker explains.
"They are more motivated to learn than privileged kids I've taught earlier," says Head Teacher Clara Lobo in a class where kindergarteners sing and prepare for a dictation test. "Curious as anything, they ask, âWhat's next?'"
Prioritising medical facilities, the dispensary's doctors and Sandhya Mestry, the compounder for close to 50 years, can be consulted for advice on sick, malnourished and special needs children.
Everyone 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, "This is hamesha home."
The way it is for Sarita Nawalkar. Though she has joined recently as director, she says, "The centre has transformed me after a corporate career in media. With minimal red tape and a treasurer who is our backbone, our founder's vision is being fulfilled and taken to the next level."
Begum Jung's farsightedness indeed impacted wide and deep. Chairing the Visitors Board of the JJ Hospital in the '70s, 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 state's premier hospital got a coat of paint four decades after Independence. She commissioned an independent enquiry into the hospital's issues, led by Dr Surinder Pruthi of IIM Ahmedabad. The thorough report with farsighted recommendations was sadly unimplemented.
While Mumbai fights to save threatened green lungs like the Aarey Forest, Patwardhan Park and Malabar Hill, it is poignant recalling her allegiance to Sunderlal Bahuguna's Chipko Andolan. This passionate involvement reaped tree planting drives, which gained momentum across the city.
"She was a green ahead of her time, knowledgeable about everything botanical," marvels her son Azeez Mehdi Khan, a retired IAS officer. "I 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 supported."
His sister, Kulsum Dubash, president emeritus of the NSCC, adds, "Whatever my mother undertook had to be of quality." 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 dal-chaawal meal courtesy Sun-n-Sand 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, "It's been an extraordinary journey, and a legacy to nurture and fulfill."
Author-publisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay. You can reach her at meher.marfatia@mid-day.com/www.meher marfatia.com
