In the room of her house, Nazish sits with strands of ropes stretched across a wooden frame. She moves the strands back and forth, transforming the frame into a beautiful charpai (a traditional woven bed or cot commonly used in South Asia.)
The art of weaving demands patience, and patience is all that Nazish has learned throughout her life, mostly after her husband’s killing in the 2020 Delhi riots.
On the day of 24th February, 2020, her husband, Jamaluddin, went to attend his niece’s wedding in Farrukhabad, where he was informed about the vandalizing and ransacking of his home.
For someone like Jamaluddin, who already hailed from a humble background, a house was not just a happy dwelling but a lifelong earning. On hearing the news, he hurriedly left the wedding and made his way towards home on 27th February.
However, what Jamaluddin encountered eclipsed the happiness of his entire family. He was beaten mercilessly by rioters. His body lay in blood on the road, but the blows kept coming from all sides. Five days later, Jamaludding succumbed to injuries, leaving behind four sons and Nazish.
Hands That Refuse to Break
As the sole breadwinner of the family, Jamaluddin took his final breath, the charpai became a significant part of Nazish’s life, helping her earn a living. Nazish’s stoic face carries years of trials and challenges. Her hands are bruised from labor, but her heart holds wounds that may never heal.
The only dream that remains in Nazish’s eyes is to watch her sons soar in life. After the passing of Jamaludin, responsibilities were tweaked, and the first thing to be sacrificed was her sons’ education. Amidst the atrocity, Miles2Smile Foundation took the responsibilities of children’s education and enrolled all four of them in its relief school, Sunrise Public School, where they weave a better future.
“I was most worried about their education; thank God their studies are going well. In a way, I felt relieved,” Nazish said.
“All four of my children have received education in the school; with the help of Miles2Smile, they are moving forward in life,” she added.
Jamaluddin, as she describes, was a “loving husband” who always happily embraced the responsibilities of the house.
“After Jamaluddin’s passing, the responsibilities of the house are on me. I get very tired working continuously, but the household also has to run,” she said.
Nazish’s charpai weaving work, which is the family’s main source of income, barely brings in enough money, making her crestfallen and listless for days. “There is not enough money from charpai weaving to run the house properly, but what can we do? This is life now,” she said.
Where Hope Begins Again
Nazish lives in a two-story house, with the second floor still half-constructed, which she hopes to complete one day and rent out to secure a stable source of income.
“The upper floor is still half constructed; if it gets completed, I could put it on rent, but there is no money to complete it,” she added.
While listening to her ordeal, Miles2Smile promised to help her in the construction of her house. We launched a fundraiser to do the same, and with the help of our supporters, we were able to help her for the same.
The construction of her house is still underway, but the happiness Nazish feels each day seems boundless. “I cannot explain how happy I am that my house is going to be completed soon; I can’t believe it happened so swiftly,” she said.
