Chapter IV
it A VISIT TO THE SHARADA SADAN, AND A GLIMPSE AT SOME OF ITS PUPILS.
" Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven
pillars." Prov. ix. i. THE
house that Ramabai secured for the perma-
nent location of the Sharada Sadan in Poona
stands well back from the road; but to make
the position still more secluded, Ramabai lined the walls
that divided it from the road with a screen of trellis-
work. This, covered with creeping vines and backed
by flowering shrubs, added to the bowery appearance of
the garden. The garden, occupying nearly half the
compound, was dotted here and there with fine shade
trees, the gold mohur, the plumeria, and others, which
are covered with gorgeous flowers in their season.
Roses and lilies, jasmine and elemanta, variegated cro-
tons, caladiums, bouganvillia, and the hundred and one
tropical shrubs that are cherished greenhouse plants in
our colder atmosphere, luxuriate in the beautiful climate
of the deccan of India. Nowhere are they seen to more
48 PANDITA RAMABAI
perfection than at Poona; and Ramabai's garden has
always abounded with them. A shaded fernery, plant-
ed around a fountain close to the house, affords a cool
retreat for the heat of the day. Ramabai, as a child of the
forest, was ever an enthusiastic lover of flowers, and
longed for her pupils to take delight in them also.
The house had its outer and inner apartments, like
all houses built for Hindu family use. To these Rama-
bai added two long dormitories, built one above the
other. The upper was reached by a stone staircase
outside, a further flight of stairs leading to an enclosure
on the roof, from which to study the stars.
" This is not an institution in which all the best rooms
are reserved for the teaching staff," remarked Ramabai,
to a party of visitors she was showing over the build-
ing on the occasion of its opening ceremonies in July,
1892. " My pupils," she continued, " are as free to
come and go in the drawing-room as in any other part
of the house. The Sadan with all its privileges has
been instituted for their benefit. They come from
homes where they have been treated as outcasts, where
no love has been bestowed upon them, and no comforts
provided for them. I wish them to see the contrast
in all things where love rules. I wish them to become
acquainted with as many good people as possible; to
learn what the outside world is like from pictures and
books; and to enjoy the wonderful works of God, as
VISIT TO THE " SHARADA SADAN "
they ramble in the garden, study with the microscope,
or view the heavens from the little verandah on the
roof."
The Pandita's aims, as thus set forth by herself,
represented truly the atmosphere of the Sharada Sadan
as I found it on my first visit at that time. The pupils
came and went everywhere, learned their lessons in
groups in the drawing-room, or walked in the garden
by twos and threes, gathered roses and lilies for each
other and the visitors, made wreaths of jasmine and
decked each other's hair.
" Bai," the usual Hindu title for the mistress of the
house, was Ramabai's home appellation; while that of
Miss Soonderbai Powar was " Ukka " (elder sister). A few months previously Miss Powar had taken up her
abode with Ramabai as companion and friend; and as
loving elder sister to the pupils her influence has been
blessed in a marked degree. Out of school hours the
girls followed Ramabai about and clustered around her
like bees; while Soonderbai's little room was usually
crowded with pupils coming and going, sure of a hear-
ing and help in any difficult phase of work or lessons.
The " good-night " scene, repeated with variations
on all my visits to the Sadan during the subsequent
seven years, was one to be enjoyed and remembered. When the retiring bell rang, wherever " Bai " and " Ukka " were to be found, there the girls and women
50 PANDITA RAMABAI
flocked in. Every one must have a good-night kiss
from the Brahmin woman of forty, who did the cook-
ing, to the youngest child-widow. Some of them were
not satisfied with one embrace, but would slyly come
up a second time out of their turn, till the fun would get
a little too riotous, and a summary dismissal was neces-
sary.
There were then about forty widows in residence,
ranging in age from little girls of seven to the afore-
said Brahmin cook of forty. But the majority were
from fifteen to twenty-five. Most of the older women
had their heads shaved, and wore their sarees drawn
close around their faces to hide this disfigurement im-
posed upon them by cruel custom.
At this time of the opening ceremony in 1892, the
schoolrooms were in the inner apartments, the veran-
dahs being used as class-rooms. This was but a tem-
porary arrangement, for the foundations were already
in for a fine school-room in the compound opposite the
entrance to the original building. This was completed
and used a twelvemonth later. The other rooms were
then utilized as dormitories for an increased number of
pupils.
The opening ceremonies were in two sections. In
the morning a company of missionaries and Christian
friends of various denominations assembled in the draw-
ing-room for a dedication service. Ramabai said she
VISIT TO THE " SHARADA SADAN " 51
desired a public thanksgiving to God for all the way He
had led her, and for the provision of this beautiful
building which had been given them by Christians in
America. The speaking and prayers, in which many
present took vocal part, were in line with this thought. One of the speakers closed his remarks with a Scrip-
tural quotation which may now be looked back upon in
the light of a prophecy. Turning to Ramabai he said
" My sister, * The Lord shall increase you more and
more, you and your children.' * "
In the evening the schoolroom was gaily decorated
and filled with a sympathising company of Ramabai*s
Hindu friends, relatives of the pupils, and a few Euro-
peans. Addresses in Marathi were given by Ramabai
and others. The pupils sang a number of Marathi
songs, one of which, describing the woes of the widow,
was very touching. An American White Ribbon song
was nicely rendered by a few of the girls ; and four of
them gave, with marvellous correctness, an English dia-
logue, representing a scene in the life of Peter the Great.
Thus it will be seen that their education had made con-
siderable advance since the alphabet commencement be-
fore-mentioned.
It was my privilege at this time to spend several days
at the Sadan. The loving spirit that prevailed, and the
all-prevading energy of the bright little woman at the
* Psalm cxv. 14-
52 PANDITA RAMABAI
head of the house, were two features of the work that
remained with me. There was never any trace of Ori-
ental languor about Ramabai ; whatever she did she did
with her might. Whether hearing the pupils recite
their Marathi lessons, directing the malts in the garden,
overseeing the workmen on the new building, or ex-
plaining the operations of the institution to a party of
visitors—she was all life and energy, the centre and
circumference of all that was going on.
I was particularly attracted by a happy group of
child-widows, some half-dozen or more, about ten or
twelve years of age. Such bright little girls! It was
difficult to believe that they rested under the cruel ban of
widowhood ! But even their games echoed the circum-
stances of their lives. One of these, in which there was
an amount of screaming and running away, was ex-
plained to me. It was the new child-wife being tutored
by her mother-in-law in domestic affairs, and, persist-
ently misunderstanding her commands and bringing
her the wrong articles, was being, in consequence,
chased and punished!
Somewhere about this time one who heard it took
down a conversation between some of these little girls,
in which occurred the following passages, illustrating
the condition of girl-children who, not knowing what
marriage means, are yet widows :
ViTTo: " I was a mere baby when I was married.
VISIT TO THE " SHARADA SADAN "
We do not look like wives, do we ? Yet people call me
* widow/ ' unlucky,' and say I have killed my hus-
band."
Chanda : " I also am a widow, because my parents
say so; but what is the meaning of it I do not under-
stand. They say I shall have to suffer much as I grow,
older. No one will love me because I killed and swal-
lowed my husband; but I never saw him. I do not
know who he was. Since I am come to this school
all the teachers love me ; they try to make me happy, and
they never say unkind words to me or think I am un-
lucky."
SuNDRi : " Prya, let us hear your history, and I will
tell mine."
Prya : " My father knew I would be a widow, but
he purposely gave me in marriage."
** Prya, Prya, do not say so
All the Girls :
How could he know what would be in the future ? "
ViTTO : " Well, sometimes parents do it for money. Do you know of one girl who was here in the school,
and was obliged by her ignorant people to leave? The
poor thing was married when she was five years old.
She was given to a man of fifty for a hundred rupees.
Within a year the miserable man died, leaving behind
him a widow six years old ! Don't you think her par-
ents must have had sense enough to know that such a
small child given to an old man would become a widow ?
54 PANDITA RAMABAI
But they want money, or do it when they are tired of
their daughter."
The other girls chimed in with reminiscences of the
cruel treatment meted out to this hapless widow of six
years by her husband's relatives.
Then Prya said : " You will get thousands of cases
like that. My mother died when I was nine months
old. When I was two years and six months my father
wanted me to be married. He gave me in marriage to
a little boy, who died six months afterwards, when I
was three. My mother's friend took care of me till I
was six; then my father brought me to Bombay. I
lived with him four years, cooked for myself, and was
very unhappy. My father was a strict Hindu, and did
not love me because I was a widow. My mother's
uncle put me in this school. My father did not like it,
and came to Poona to fetch me out, but was taken ill.
I went to see him. He said he wanted to see my head
shaved and disfigured. But he died soon, and I was
free."
The poor little mites concluded their conversation by
unanimously refusing to consider themselves widows;
and rejoicing in the freedom and happiness found at
the Sharada Sadan, they ran away to play.
Soon after Ramabai settled her Sharada Sadan at
Poona, she paid a visit to the ancestral home of her
family in the Mangalore district, where she was well re-
VISIT TO THE " SHARADA SADAN "
ceived by her relatives. On her return to Poona
several young widows from the extensive Brahmin
community of the former place accompanied her, and
became her pupils. The case of one poor ill-used girl-
widow at this place had especially attracted Ramabai's
attention, and she much desired to rescue her. This
girl was used most cruelly by her relatives. She was
beaten for the slightest fault. She was also punished
by being suspended from the rafters of the roof by her
wrists, while a heap of prickly pear-bush was placed
underneath to receive her if she should succeed in free-
ing herself. Another punishment was to shut her in
a cook-house with burning chillies (red peppers) on the
fire; this produces a most irritating smoke, and, often
repeated, injures the eyesight.
This poor girl was a most unhappy creature, feafful
and suspicious of everybody. Ramabai tried in vain to
gain her confidence, and her relatives treated with con-
tempt the idea of giving her an education. Ramabai's
diplomacy then led her to try another plan. She invited
the mother-in-law and .one other female member of the
family to pay her a visit with this girl. They came,
and were courteously established on the compound, and
a cookhouse appropriated to their use, their caste prin-
ciples making separate cooking needful. Ramabai en-
tertains like a princess, and the visitors felt themselves
highly honoured. Some weeks passed away, during
56 PANDITA RAMABAI
which time Ramabai did all she could to gain the con-
fidence of the unhappy girl, who, how^ever, did not ap-
pear to be much more cheerful in spite of her change of
surroundings, and the apparent change in the way she
was treated. When she did at last open her heart to
Ramabai, it was found that the course of ill-treatment
had really never ceased; that these women had con-
trived to beat the girl daily since their arrival at the
Sharada Sadan, and to frequently lock her in the cook-
house and leave her there for hours. As soon as
Ramabai felt convinced that the victim trusted her, and
would stand by her intention to remain, she told the
other women that they might leave—a perfectly polite
intimation according to Hindu custom. There was
some trouble when they found the young widow deter-
mined to remain ; but as she was over the age at which
they could legally have forced her to return, they had
to submit with the best grace they could, especially
when they found Ramabai took her part. This young woman has long been a professing Christian, and a use-
ful helper in the Sharada Sadan; but I always think her
face bears traces of those years of systematic ill-usage.
Probably the reader will be able to identify the heroine
of this story in the picture of " Six Pupils of the Shara-
da Sadan who have be^^^m'^^ '^h fustians."