The Unsung – Story of Janki Devi

Needing a stStruggling to survive in extremely challenging circumstances, and finding hope, meaning and purpose in the SHG, Janki Devi becomes pivotal in helping the women of her village to gain confidence in their worth and capabilities

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and, behold, service was joy.” Rabindranath Tagore

H ELLO, EVERYONE! Some of you may know me and many of you may not; so I will take this opportunity to introduce someone, who is very close to me, and in the process, I will also introduce myself.

I am a huge, mountainous banyan tree with large, aerial roots. I have seen many years and many seasons in my Karma village. Each day is very different from the previous day. I have seen dawn breaking out in the sky accompanied by smoke from the chullhas filling the air. The rich and heavy morning air mingles with the smog and I watch this interplay from my vantage point in the centre of the village and feel a sense of joy. Young birds wake up early from their perches in my branches and fly to new heights to give wing to new accomplishments but baby birds wake up lazily, yawning and waiting for the food their mother and father are already on their way to get. People and animals gather under my shade to talk before starting their day. Through the day I feel happy because children come to play and elders come to rest beneath me. I am very happy to hear them sharing their joys, sorrows, successes and failures. Their discussions and their offerings of trust and support to each other have made me very empathetic to humans.