There is nothing unusual about Damyanti Maru.  She is a daughter, sister, wife, mom, and an entrepreneur. She is also a wonderful cook, armed with embroidery and tailoring skills. Nothing unusual about all this.  Lets listen to her in her own words… 

में दमयंती मारु .. मेरI बचपन गुजरा सम्भलपुर, ओडिशा मे और शादी के बाद मै भिलाई आ गयी मुझे बचपन से ही शौक था नई चीज़े सीखने का.  भिलाई के सेक्टर ६ मे रहते थे हम और समय काटने के लिए शुरू किया सिलाई का काम..  पिलो कवर बनाना सीखना था, एक नया पिलो कवर को पूरा खोल दिया और देखा कैसे जोड़ा है. उसके बाद खूब सारे बेडशीट तकिया गिलाफ बनाया …. घर के सारे काम के साथ अपना शौख को ज़िंदा रखा… दिवाली क मिठाई तैयार करना अभी ४-५ साल पहले शुरू किया … १५ किलो खोआ के गुजिया बनाया इस साल, हाथों हाथ सारे ख़तम !

This is Maru Aaunty for me. .. with enthusiasm to learn and try new things at the age of 75 that matches a five year old.  In a day of 24 hours I would rather not count how much gets done. Aunty makes authentic Gujrati sweets and usual namkeens and they sell  like hot cakes. Aunty is very good with her stitching be it wool knitting, crochet designs, or usual kurtis and making palazzo for young girls. She got an order for 100 cloth pouches which a friend’s friend ordered from Bengluru and Aunty has her system perfected to courier the order. This is just the tip of the iceberg when we start counting Maru Aunty’s expertise. 

I visit Aunty often for I like the ease with which I can be at her home.  Any time her house is spic and span, aesthetically decorated, maintained well.  She has a lot of flowering plants. She maintains a kitchen garden on her terrace from where she will get tomatoes, lady finger, beans, turmeric, and has her own organic pesticide which is a secret she will tell any one!  So when ever I go to meet Aunty  I make sure I have atleast 40-45 minutes extra because being with her is a  feast for my soul.  Aunty often has some delicacy in her kitchen because she likes munching in between meals so visiting her is real pleasure! Maru Uncle had a stroke few years back nearly 15 years back and cannot speak well, keeps on saying something which we cannot understand, he is more like a 2 year old kid. He walks around, keeps talking repeating  words again and again.  Maru aunty is adept at looking after the house hold, and her home based business, taking care of a husband who will walk out of the gate any time and not know how to return is a big task.  Aunty has to do everything for him – bath him to button his shirt. All this gets done with a smile .. जब करना ही है तो मुस्कुराके करो .. – a policy that makes Maru Aunty very special! 

एक दिन आंटी से मिलने गयी तो आंटी बोली मिनी श्रीखंड खायेगी? मै खाना खा के बस निकली ही थी इस्सलिये बोली नहीं आंटी अभी भरा है पेट .. आंटी बोली ” हम अभी खाना खाये है , आज यह एक कटोरी श्रीखंड बचा था तो फ्रिज मै नहीं रखा – सोचा जो भी आएगा उसके हिस्से का है समझूंगी .. इस्सलिये यह कटोरी श्रीखंड तेरा हुआ ” ! वाह ! क्या सोच ! 

१९८५-८६-८७ ” पाक रानी ” का खिताब  भिलाई

” कई बार से छेना पोडा बनाने की कोशिश की पर ठीक नहीं बना.. तब मैने youtube पे खोजा कैसे बनाये, try किया और सीख लिया बिलकुल सही बन गया.. “

I am yet to meet a 65+ women who can handle a smart phone as comfortably as Maru Aunty. It is not a surprise actually that Maru Aunty continues to learn. Her father Shri Valamji Lalji Varu is a renowned personality who’s photograph of the Hirakund Dam was taken when the 100 rupee note got a new design in December 1960. This image of the Hirakund Dam remained in the 100 rupee note till 1992 when it was replaced by the picture of the glorious Himalyan ranges **. In early 1950’s Maru aunty’s father had made a prototype of a xerox machine. Later worked at the site of the Hirakund dam clicking photographs of the dam being built.. from start to end! When Pandit Nehru, then Prime minister, saw the photography work, he was very impressed and wanted the photograph of the Dam to be used in the design of the currency… So our Maru Aunty comes from a very special historical background.

The actual Hirakund Dam photograph and the newspaper article on Shri Valamji Lalji Varu on his death..

Aunty can sing very well bhajans and makes her own songs. On one occasion , the Gujrati samaj of Bhilai wanted to honour Rajesh Chauhan, the Cricketer from Bhilai, who played in India team. Maru aunty wrote the song .. sang it describing how they had seen the small boy playing in the courtyard, later on the grounds in the sector and went on to play for the Ranji team and finally for the country – becoming a pride of the Gujrati’s , also the whole of Bhilai and Rajesh Chauhan was floored! .

Do you think we have an applaud- able personality here ? 🙂 Yeah even I thought so….

She tells me an interesting episode about a cooking video made and uploaded by IBC channel on you tube some time back. Maru aunty’s sister recommended her to the Channel personnel – Shruti and convinced them to record Maru aunty. They agreed and the recording was done. So you must know Maru Aunty has become a Youtube star too ! After this, the team also got three other episodes recorded with the help of Maru Aunty. All the while, Aunty would see that the camera person would look at aunty and smile for no reason and become friends with her. So one day Aunty could not stop herself, and asked him “why do you look at me and smile ?” The camera man then narrated that the day Maru aunty’s episode was to be recorded, it was supposed to be done in a second floor flat and the Channel team wondered how a 70-year-old women would climb to the second floor flat !!! But then they saw Maru aunty was most comfortable, came up the stairs and was running around very actively, they laughed among themselves… at their “preconceived notion “!!

Here are the moods of Maru aunty’s home.. her workplace is usually the drawing room and the veranda attached .. which has many treasures. You will find all her stitching inventory, then sometimes you will see turmeric – chilli- dhaniya powder packets which she gets from Gujarat, at other times I see lots of pappad packets – rice flour, sabudana and related assortments. She has always punctually delivered all the order taken – be it a namkeen you want, a gujiya order for Diwali, or a project to help a young design student.

Maru Aunty is a bright soul, and she is an inspiration to me and many others around her. I DEDICATE MY BLOG TO HER.

** Facts from:

https://exclusivecoins.blogspot.com/2011/10/did-you-know-series-7-100-rupee-notes.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirakud_Dam