Fighting to Keep the Spirit Alive

Right next to building in which I live is a very small chai shop. Being the tea addict that I am, I literally haunt that shop. I am always there. When you are alone, you tend to observe things and people. I saw how people talked animatedly about latest news and religion. I saw how couples quietly enjoyed their cup of tea together. And I always saw a middle-aged woman, who came there around 5 pm for a cup of strong tea. Over a period of time, she noticed me noticing her. I think two women, out alone, share a bond that only they can feel. One day she smiled at me, and called me over. And just like that, a friendship sprung up. I began to cherish that time with her simply because she stimulated the thinker in me, and believe me, such people are RARE. As we talked more and more, I found out things about her that changed my admiration to respect, and later awe.  

Nimisha comes from a very rich Gujarati family and was a gold medal winning law student when she completed her degree in law. She got a job in a major law firm and raked in lakhs every month. She had a lot of money, and was soon going to be married to an even richer guy. But, as she describes, that life was empty. Until one day that completely changed her life.

A teacher from her law college, an old lady that Nimisha dearly loved had a heart attack. Nimisha rushed to meet her as soon as she heard. She found out that the teacher’s husband had passed away a couple of years ago. The insurance money that her husband had saved never came back to her. She filed lots of petitions and claims, but she never could manage to rise above the mess of paperwork. Finally the stress got to her and she had a heart attack. Nimisha resolved she wouldn’t let the insurance sharks get away with it. She took a leave from work, and prepared to sue the insurance company on her teacher’s behalf. They filed the case, and she fought with all her might against the insurance giant. It took months of hearings, but they finally won. Nimisha gave back to the teacher what was hers.

Word got around about this, and shortly after this case, many people started contacting her to help them with similar cases. People who were wronged and helpless. Some were cheated by the system, some couldn’t afford paid help. What started as freelance odd jobs, turned into a calling. Nimisha quit her job, postponed her wedding and set up her own practice. She gave up all her luxuries and took up the challenge of fighting for what’s right, entirely on her own. It was tough for her, in a male dominated court room. She struggled each day to adjust to her new lifestyle, to build up cases entirely on her own. Contrary to the apparent distress, she says it all filled her heart with joy.

The entire path that she has chosen is challenging, not just her cases. She barely makes enough money to survive. She has no fixed working hours. She has lost all touch with the world she used to know and live in. And she is anything but scared. You can see by the glitter in her eye that she lives for the moment when the gavel strikes in her favour. She lives for the challenge of defeating big names and big corporations. She gets nothing as reward, no recognition but she knows what difference she has made to the lives of those who she represented. She lives for that.

I asked her, “What makes you go on with this life?” She said, “Everyday is a new fight. And I am truly in my spirit when I am fighting. I live for the moment when I win. I will be dead if I stay still, stable. As long as I fight, I do not exist, but I live.”

Awe-inspiring. Right?

She truly is alive. And that seems to be pretty awesome!   

(URLs lead to Cinthol's Alive is Awesome campaign. Story courtesy: SS)