Selflessness amid political noise

Retired headmistress donates life savings of Rs 1 crore to the Indian Army

Kolhapur: A 84-year-old retired school teacher from Thane, Vijaya Hari Vaidya, has delivered a powerful lesson in patriotism through action rather than rhetoric. She donated her entire life savings – nearly Rs 1 crore accumulated for financial security in old age – to the Indian Army.

Vaidya retired from Shiv Samarth Vidyalaya in 1998. Over the years, she had accumulated savings from her service, retirement benefits and family assets amounting to Rs 1 crore.

Believing that the welfare of Indian soldiers and their families was more important than personal comfort or material security, she handed over her entire savings to the Army. There was no ceremony, no press conference and no publicity campaign. Quietly and without fanfare, she fulfilled what she saw as her national duty.

Originally from Phanse village in Devgad taluka, Vaidya studied in the educational institution established by Dhondo Keshav Karve. Most girls studying there were orphans, and the institution relied heavily on donations from philanthropists. While studying in Class 10 on a paid seat, she witnessed a financial crisis in the institution that directly affected food arrangements for orphaned girls.

Bhaskar Karve, son of Dhondo Keshav Karve, informed fee-paying students about the shortage of donations. The incident left a deep impact on Vaidya’s young mind. The thought that orphaned girls could be deprived of two meals a day due to lack of funds stayed with her for years.

Later, while pursuing her BA degree, another profound influence shaped her outlook — a literary work titled ‘All My Sons’. The story portrayed the emotional journey of a father who loses his son in war. After a prolonged period of grief, the father comes to believe that every young soldier in the armed forces is his own son. He then devotes his life to serving wounded and young soldiers.

These two formative experiences deeply influenced Vijaya Vaidya’s worldview. She said she finally felt a sense of emotional fulfilment after her donations to the army.

The funds have been donated through cheques to institutions including the Army’s Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre and Queen Mary’s Technical Institute, besides the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund, Army Women Welfare Fund and Army Central Welfare Fund.

Much like Vijaya Vaidya, the family of Kolhapur’s Dr Prakash Gune had also quietly donated Rs 1 crore to the Indian Army last year out of a sense of national duty.