Padamata Bhuvaneshwari proves any hand that yearns for the welfare of others can and should take it up. Social service is not only for the elite upper classes. You could be a businessman or simply a cute little daughter of a tailor like Padamata Bhuvaneshwari. Today’s story is about how she gave up her studies to support her family and rose to a social service capacity. She was a late child to her parents. With two older sisters and one younger sister, she was only 10 when her father reached his 60s.
Struggles Before Social Service
Bhuvaneshwari’s father was a hardworking tailor who owned a shop. His patriotism compelled him to name it “Jai Bharat.” Despite his sincere efforts, the old man noticed that hand-stitched clothes were going out of fashion. Her father responded quickly to it. He went from their hometown, Vuyyuru (Andhra Pradesh), to Kolkata (West Bengal) and brought back ready-made clothes to sell. This way, Jai Bharat Dresses became the first shop in Vuyyuru to sell ready-made clothes.
After completing her intermediate in the science stream, Bhuvaneshwari’s father told her that he could not support her in going to a medical college. The family could not afford that expenditure at that time. Not willing to inconvenience her father anymore, she dropped out of academics and supported her father.
She enrolled for a BA Degree and completed the first two years with a 70%. Bhuvaneshwari is now awaiting the results of her final year final exam. She seems confident of a positive result. Her childhood sacrifices allowed her to study later in life.
Social Service Was Within Her
Still far from social service, Bhuvaneshwari would return from school and help her aging father at their shop. Even at a tender age, she had the maturity to share her father’s responsibilities. Her father was an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Padamata followed in the father’s footsteps, and it was the beginning of Bhuvaneshwari’s social service journey. It was at a time when women didn’t come out in the open a lot. It won’t be wrong to say that she was the first girl in Vuyyuru to be running a business.
With time, Bhuvaneshwari had taken over Jai Bharat completely. In 2000, her sister’s friend encouraged her to be part of the Inner Wheel Club. Having a streak of social service, Bhuvaneshwari lost no time in accepting the proposal. Her social service gained popularity, and the newspapers narrated her story. Her sensitivity to people’s pain is such that it surprises everyone. The intensity of her empathy compels her to step into other’s shoes. Bhuvaneshwari goes to the extent of eating her food before serving it to others.
Even today, she could never compromise on the quality of food. A proud father recognized her business acumen and encouraged Bhuvanneshwari to start something of her own. Fuelled by this encouragement, she set her foot in the one-gram-rolled gold business in 2005. Again, she was the first one to start such a business in Vuyyuru. It was a success with her customers.
Social Service Brings Experiences
In the process of interacting with customers, Bhuvaneshwari would listen to many of their stories. Their hardships further enhanced the lady’s desire for social service. Talking about one such encounter with customers, Bhuvaneshwari narrated the story of an old couple. They entered the shop with great anxiety. Upon inquiry, the wife said that her son had given her a gold chain, which was taken away by her grandson. Now, when he comes back, he will ask her about the chain, and she’ll have nothing to say.
Bhuvaneshwari comforted her, saying that she could use a rolled gold chain in its place for the time being for just Rs. 300. The couple liked the idea. While things went on like this, she continued her service at the Inner Wheel Club. Soon, she rose to the position of a secretary there.
Social Service Hunger Increases
However, her work at the Inner Wheel Club did not satisfy her desire to provide social service. One glance at a newspaper one day gave her the idea of her version of social service. She learned about the Free Shoppe, where old clothes could be collected and distributed to the needy. She immediately spread the word among her friends at kitty parties.
Bhuvaneshwari collected all the goods that were in good condition but not in use from her friends. She gathered some such articles from her household too. She came to be known as an active social servant. Sometimes women facing domestic violence would reach out to her.
One day, a woman came crying to Bhuvaneshwari. Unable to take the physical abuse, she had decided to end her life. The woman came to her as a last resort before taking the drastic step. Bhuvaneshwari comforted the women and promised a tailoring lesson. She also helped the husband get de-addicted to alcohol, which was the cause of all problems. Bhuvaneshwari believes that every woman can solve her problems. All she needs is some comforting and some pep talk at the time of distress.
Birth Of An NGO
When Bhuvaneshwari took such problems to the club members, they would refuse, saying it was not their forte. Unlike the others, Bhuvaneshwari wanted to do something for these women. On March 20, 2016, Bhuvaneshwari established Mahila Spoorthi Welfare Society. You may ask why she chose that day? She replies, saying which day could be more special than her 45th birthday to begin social service. The actual work, however, began only in May that year. To this day, she has organized 56 Free Shoppes every Sunday.
An Accident Experience
Nothing could prevent Bhuvaneshwari from continuing her social service. Not even a major accident. Once while returning from a place of pilgrimage with her husband, they met with an accident. They were on a bike and collided with another one. Bhuvaneshwari suffered an injury to her head and was unconscious for a while. Although she recovered, too much stress leads to a headache even today. Despite all this, the strong lady is back on her feet and ready for social service.
Undeterred Social Service
Even during the pandemic, she didn’t stop her social service. Only when Bhuvaneshwari got a fever, she gave social service some rest. The strong lady was back on her feet by October 2020. Even the Free Shoppe didn’t reduce Bhuvaneshwari’s desire for social service. She and her team met fire officers and asked to be informed wherever support was needed. Bhuvaneshwari and her team provide immediate supplies to the victims of fire accidents and give them clothes, utensils, blankets, etc. She speaks of these stories as the most moving. The thought that no amount of external support can undo the fire accident tears her apart.
Social Service To Empower Women
Mahila Spoorthi Welfare Society works towards protecting the environment too. Owing to the plastic ban, the organization supplied cloth bags to people sometime before the pandemic. Bhuvaneshwari had not forgotten the main reason behind establishing the NGO. She began providing free tailoring classes to empower women. Bhuvaneshwari is preparing to provide free embroidery design training in collaboration with NABARD from January 20 to February 20 this year. Seeing her work so hard for women’s welfare, lawyers would volunteer to provide legal help in domestic violence cases. It, they promised to do free of cost.
The police also supported Bhuvaneshwari in her cause. She once got a call from the Vuyyuru CI – GVV Satyanarayana to join hands with Mahila Mitra. Mahila Mitra is a program designed by the Andhra Pradesh police department to help the state’s women. Bhuvaneshwari, along with her team, coordinated with the police department. They approach women in schools, colleges, apartments, etc., to counsel them and create awareness.
Bhuvaneshwari proudly speaks of the families her team has kept united through counseling. Don’t the sob stories of so many people disturb Bhuvaneshwari? No. She does not let that happen. Over the years, she has trained her mind to leave the discussion at the table. Otherwise, social service would be complex.
A Shocking Experience
Of the many services she rendered to society, one was shocking to Bhuvaneshwari. During her days with the Inner Wheel Club, she accompanied the team to give medicine for Chikungunya to children of the school in their area. As they started putting the medicine into the kids’ mouths, they started throwing up. Bhuvaneshwari was extremely worried. She started believing that it would be a legal issue. Luckily she consulted a homeopathy doctor on the phone, and she was relieved. The doctor confirmed that there is nothing to worry and the kids may have overreacted to the distasteful medicine. After that, Bhuvaneshwari decided that she would not be involved in food-related social service.
Social Service Never Ends
Bhuvaneshwari has encountered many people who have discouraged and even stopped her from serving throughout her social service. However, her family support kept her going. Bhuvaneshwari has two daughters who are software engineers and support their mother like everyone else. She has decided that she’ll continue her social service as long as her health and donors support her. As the third Sunday idea didn’t seem to work, she holds a Free Shoppe every week on a Sunday to be helpful to as many people as possible. Bhuvaneshwari is an inspiration, teaching people to think of others before themselves.
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