KAMALA
A symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth
"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.", Agatha Christie, The Last Séance
When I was speaking to her, and after listening to her story, this was the first quote that sprung to my mind. A mother is a person who would fight with the entire world to protect her children. No obstacles can stop her from doing so, no matter how many strands of her hair turn grey and grows feeble, the last thing she would want to do is to protect her children.
“Everyone’s my children, even they need to be fed like how I feed my children at home”. Kamala said this as I asked her how did you end up taking this job. It has been nearly 14 years since she started working at the Sebastian Mankuzhikary charity trust, in a small town in the district of Kozhikode. She cooks food for 250 people every day with the same joy as she had in the beginning. She feels that everyone in this world need to enjoy their privileges like every other human does.
Kamala leaves her home by 9.30 am to the church where they prepare the food, and then leave for Thamarasherry Government Hospital, where they have been regularly going to since 10 years now, along with her driver who helps her to serve them as well. She mingles with a number of patients there with different disabilities or difficulties, even small children. Food is like an ingredient that binds everyone together and Kamala thinks she binds with the people there, with her food. She sees to it that her porridge, broad beans and pickle are in their best form and doesn’t disappoint them. When she repeatedly said that they also had achaar(pickle), I could see her eyes sparkling with pride in what she did. It is not how much we give, but how much we put into it to make it the best, that matters.
Even now, amidst the nationwide lockdown, she makes sure that she cooks and get the food to the hospital and feed as many as she could. Despite her health and family she is on the frontlines to battle against this weapon, COVID-19 with love. As Barbara Kingsolver once said, “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is much greater than natural laws”.
We salute our Lead Kindness Hero KAMALA
Story By: Lakshmi Muralidharan
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