Just Like That | From struggle to success: The quiet triumph of Bimla’s family
In urban chaos, success stories often remain untold. Bimla and Rakesh, a couple who faced adversity, prioritized education for their children.
In the crevices of our sprawling metropolises, teeming with ambition and municipal chaos, some success stories quietly unfold—stories that don’t make headlines but keep alive the vibrancy of the human spirit. These are not tales of sudden rags-to-riches transformations or dramatic downfalls. They are about ordinary, unknown people who defy the limits of their circumstances and carve out new possibilities for themselves.
One such story played out within my own home.
In 1999, we hired a cook named Bimla. She moved into our staff quarters with her husband, Rakesh, and their two young children. Rakesh had come to Delhi some years earlier in search of work. He initially lived with his brother, a pujari, at a small temple. His role was menial: cleaning the temple and his brother’s house.
Bimla married at 18 and had her first child, Deepak, at 19. A few years later, she gave birth to Uma. But life in her in-laws’ home was unbearable. Her jethani (the husband’s elder brother’s wife) was cruel and exploitative, forcing the young family to leave.
Bimla took up work as a housemaid while Rakesh cleaned cars to earn a living. One of his clients, a senior official in the DAV school chain, was impressed by his honesty and advised him to learn to drive. This eventually landed him a job as a school bus driver.
It was around this time that Bimla joined our home.
With her husband’s stable employment, their children were admitted to a DAV school. Their combined income remained modest, but Bimla was fiercely determined to secure a better future for her children. Every spare rupee she had—often supplemented by small loans from us—was invested in their education. She arranged for extra tuition, ensuring they lacked nothing academically. Recognizing her dedication, my wife offered them an additional room so the children could have space to study.
Deepak excelled in school and secured admission to an engineering college in Punjab. After graduation, his brilliance won him the prestigious Chevening Scholarship, allowing him to spend a year in the UK. Upon returning, he was selected by a reputed multinational company.
Bimla remained with us, but her focus now shifted to Uma.
Uma wanted to become a Chartered Accountant (CA), a notoriously difficult qualification to achieve. But Rakesh, rooted in his conservative upbringing, felt there was a right age for a girl to marry, and Uma was nearing it.
Bimla stood firm.
She reduced her personal expenses to the bare minimum, funnelling her entire salary—and additional support from my wife—into Uma’s studies. Obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, threatened to derail Uma’s ambitions. But after an initial setback, she cleared her CA exams on her second attempt.
Soon after, she secured a job at a CA firm in Dubai.
With Deepak well-established in the UK and Uma thriving in Dubai, Bimla and Rakesh’s sacrifices had borne fruit. But fate had more in store.
In Dubai, Uma met a successful Indian CA, and they soon married. The couple started their own firm, and before long, they moved to London, continuing on their road to prosperity.
Deepak, meanwhile, bought his parents a comfortable apartment in Delhi. Today, Bimla has household help and a secure future. Her only challenge? After a lifetime of relentless work, she doesn’t quite know how to take it easy.
In just one generation, this family moved from struggle to security, from near-poverty to undeniable prosperity—not through miracles, but through relentless hard work, grit, and perseverance.
This is an absolutely true story (though names have been changed for privacy). For my wife and me, who witnessed and played a small role in this journey, it remains a source of immense pride.
The other day, when Bimla visited us, she called herself lucky. But luck, as we know, often favours those who work for it.
As the poet Nida Fazli put it:
Koshish bhi kar, umeed bhi rakh, rasta bhi chun
Uske baad thoda muqaddar talaash kar
"Do your best, don’t lose hope, choose your destiny—
After that, search also for a bit of luck."