Opinion

Where did humanity go wrong? The true story of Parbati – Part 2

A story of survival, community support, and a daughter’s rise from hardship to higher education abroad

December 23, 2025

The previous 1 parts of the article can be accessed here: Part 1. This is the second part

From Pakistan to Delhi: Parbati and Susan’s journey of hope

Now Parbati was in a country that was Hindu, but she was illegal. Living in a small chawl on the outskirts of Jaipur in a hut was not something she had ever experienced! She remembered her house in her former country. Not a hut. A real structure, though it wasn’t anything big. 2 bedrooms with a kitchen, living room, and bathroom! Even though it was rented, it was still home! Before she could regret her move, she remembered talking to some newer refugees in the chawl who had told her about the military presence and the knocks on people’s doors! The fright that they experienced when their names were disclosed. The repeated visits by maulvis asking them to embrace a new religion, where the maulvi’s patience was waning. One girl who was taken away while the parents cried, asking for help. No one was helping, some because they had come to see the drama unfolding! Most of the others helpless, hollow looks in their eyes as they clutched their own children—the move out of Pakistan to India, and one statement that still rang in her ears. “We may not have big houses, but we don’t have to worry about our children”! So true. Her daughter, Susan, is now in her teens and doing well in a government high school.

Yet, as she saw her money depleting, she knew. She had to move fast! She had been talking to someone who recommended moving to Delhi or a big city where it would be easier to mingle with the locals and find work. After several sleepless nights and speaking with truckers who drove to Delhi regularly, she finally decided to move in with Susan. The next few days were a blur as she got the names of contacts in Delhi, ones who would help. Remember, dear reader, all this communication was being done without too many people knowing about it. In that situation, the less the people knew, the better it was.

The journey to Delhi was uneventful, and she was dropped off in a suburb of Delhi where she met her contact. She was moved to another chawl where she found temporary housing. Over the next few days, she found employment as a maid in the surrounding neighborhoods. The pay was low, but if she managed to work at 4-5 houses a day, she could live relatively comfortably. The one thing she focused on was Susan’s education. After getting her admitted to a government school, she ensured Susan’s success in life. Susan did her part in making sure she helped her mother.

There were odd issues, like not understanding pure Hindi, as they were taught Urdu. However, Susan learned Hindi from neighbors and at school. That was a big win as she could now apply to schools and colleges that were, earlier, impossible to even dream about.

All of a sudden, Parbati observed things changing. Not radically but slowly. Things that most people would never have paid attention to. The local grocer asked how her daughter was, and that people were very happy about her schoolwork. Parbati was completely unaware of any of this. In her defense, not being educated and also working overtime 7 days a week, she didn’t have the time, nor the comprehension, to understand any of this. She sat with her daughter that evening and asked her about the grocer’s question. She learned that Susan had earned the top rank in her high school and the second rank in the district.

Susan was now being gently asked by her teachers to apply to any engineering college she wanted. However, Susan’s main concern was her mother. She didn’t want to leave her alone. She finally settled on a college within Delhi, not an engineering college, but a science degree. She would go on to top the degree, getting a medal for her work.

Meanwhile, Parbati’s life was changing every day. The people whose house she was a maid at started changing. One person in particular, Dilip Bhai, a well-to-do businessman with a very thriving business, told Parbati that he would help her get passports for both of them, so Susan could apply to universities abroad. After a lot of hesitation and confusion, she talked to Susan. While she was thrilled, Susan was a little concerned. Parbati finally relented, and the process started. There were some moments of frustration when the birth certificate was asked for. She never had a birth certificate in Pakistan, at least not to her knowledge. These were minor challenges at the time. Millions of people were born without birth certificates. After a few tense months, it finally arrived.

Susan managed to get admission to a university in Europe. The next few weeks were a frenzy of visa interviews and travel arrangements. Parbati spent the nights crying as she felt she was going to lose another person in her life. Susan was shopping for warm clothes and essential items, with the help and financial support of Dilip Bhai’s family, who had helped her get a passport. Two suitcases that held all of Susan’s possessions.

Finally, the night of Susan’s departure arrived. The ride to the airport, Dilip Bhai’s family, that she would be ever grateful to without realizing it, reassuring both Susan and Parbati that any mail would come to their house, so Parbati could get the mail. After Susan’s departure, she settled in her house but didn’t feel comfortable. She went to work and did it with the same efficiency. But the spark in her eyes was missing. Over the next few weeks, this became painfully obvious to Dilip and his wife, Shanti. They finally decided to talk to her.

The talk happened. This involved asking Parbati to move into their house, as they needed a full-time maid to take care of the children while the parents went to work. After a few minutes of hesitation, she accepted. She would realize, much later, that this was a generosity she could never pay back.

Her days were full of joyful children, making sure Dilip Bhai’s kids had their lunch boxes, clothes ironed, shoes polished, and ready. She would have a snack ready when they returned, and the house would be full of people. Dilip’s wife, Shanti, had taught her to cook to their taste. She learned over a period of time. The kids would call her Chachi, a small gesture, but it made her eyes tear up. Not Aya, Not Parbati, but Chachi.

The next few years went well. She would talk to Susan regularly, cry sometimes, but was always happy. She had a family that was taking care of her and her daughter. A year before Susan was scheduled to graduate, she learned that “hum sab Europe jayenge” (we all are going to Europe). She was a little confused, assuming it was Dilip and his family. When she learned ahead of time that she was included, she was stunned. Her first thoughts were about her daughter; could she have changed? Would she want to see her mother in these old clothes? These were quickly answered. She was given some clothes from Shanti’s wardrobe. She already knew how to make and alter clothes, which helped in this situation. The visas were procured, although her visa process took a little longer. She would later learn the reason for this

The day arrived when she was finally going to meet her daughter, a reunion of sorts. Susan was aware of the arrangements and was there at the airport when they arrived. She bent down, touched the feet of Dilip Bhai, Shanti, and finally her mother. Parbati, a little embarrassed and overwhelmed, kept quiet, just observing Susan. Susan spoke confidently in a language she only knew as Angrezi (English). She didn’t understand what was being said but felt happy.

After graduation, she got a job in the USA. This was new to her, although Dilip bhai knew about it, as did Shanti. The next few days went by without any new revelations. However, when she observed Dilip and Shanti getting ready to head back, she asked when “we were travelling back”. That’s when the “bomb dropped“. She would go with her daughter to the US, spend a few weeks with her, and then fly back to Delhi. Her mind was in a whirlwind. She hesitated but talked to Susan. When she saw her daughter crying and telling her she wanted her mother to see what her efforts had done, she cried too. She reminded Susan that Dilip and Shanti were the main reasons for all this.

Finally, Dilip and his family departed. She cried when they were leaving, Shanti hugging her and saying goodbye while the kids kissed their chachi and didi! She would later realize this was the last time she would see them. Fate had decided to play a cruel game. A few weeks later, in a car accident on the outskirts of Delhi, Dilip bhai and his wife and daughter had been killed. The only child who survived was in the hospital. Police had put out notifications to anyone who knew the child. Parbati heard about it. She cried, while I sat there, my own eyes tearing up.

What her future holds, none of us is aware of. Susan talked to me a few days ago. Yes, Parbati finally went back to Delhi and went to the hospital. There was no one to receive her, but she managed to get to Dilip’s house. Susan will now be sending her money for her upkeep. She was a little confused about how, since her mother didn’t have a bank account. But these were logistics that could be handled.

Dilip Bhai, Shanti Behan, rest in eternal peace. You represent a rare breed of human beings that is quickly becoming extinct. Is it wrong to wish that this breed of human beings thrive and become a majority??

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1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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