The year was 1965; Sudha Varghese from Kottayam in Kerala was different from the others in many ways. With a bent of mind to serve the needy, she had to fight resistance from her family to join a religious order at Notre Dame Academy and became a catholic nun to help the needy. The journey from the palm-fringed Kerala to the dusty plains of Bihar was not just long but hardy. The Musahar community, who are mouse catchers, are among the poorest of the poor, and education is their last priority.
Sister Sudha Varghese, 73, is also popularly called Cycle Didi, a sobriquet that came along as she travelled long distances by bicycle after realising that walking took a toll on her body. She shares, “At first, I used to walk several kilometres to meet people to understand their problems. Walking through the heat made me weak. Some days, I used to doze off because of the tiredness. Hence, I bought a bicycle to travel all around. At that time, not a single lady used to ride bicycles, and seeing me on a bicycle amused the villagers, and they started addressing me as cycle didi.” Sister Sudha soon came to be known as Cycle Didi.
Over the years, she has established 60 centres for students and an organisation, Naari Gunjan, to empower women who belong to the lowest castes in Bihar. When she noticed that the infants from low castes were being denied entry into the anganwadis, she established the ‘Anand Shiksha Kendra’ (Joyful Learning Centre) for them.
The boys in the community were attracted to drugs as they did not do anything constructive. She provided them with cricket kits, and today, they are winning every local tournament.
UNESCO noticed her work and provided her with financial aid for three years. The Government of India, recognising her work, bestowed her with Padma Shri in 2006.
Sudha Varghese has been relentlessly working with the poorest community of mouse catchers and uplifting their lives. She is also the CEO of Nari Gunjan, a non profit organisation.
