HYDERABAD: Though we always say "be the change you want to see in the world", people seldom live by this principle. It’s easier said than done, no doubt. However, by taking it one step at a time, we can actually bring changes in the lives of others.
Taslima Mohammed, the Sub-Registrar of Mulugu district, has been proving the same for the past couple of years. Despite being a senior government employee, who already has too much on her plate, Taslima Mohammed frequently goes beyond the call of duty to help the unprivileged and also to reunite missing persons, especially those with mental health issues, with their families.
A gazetted officer in Group II of the District Registration and Stamps Department , Taslima always strives for the upliftment of the poor and is famous for her charitable and humanitarian services in the district.
So far, Taslima has reunited about 21 persons found in debilitated conditions at various public places such as bus stations, road sides, footpaths and even on the streets, with their respective families. In one such instance, she rescued a boy, who went missing from Vemulawada, and handed him over to his parents who thought he had died.
Inspired by her father who was a Communist, Taslima began helping the poor and needy from her childhood itself. The 36-year-old government employee was born in Ramachandrapuram in Mulugu, completed her postgraduation in organic chemistry and became a gazetted officer in 2010. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Taslima narrated one of her many experiences.
"It happened last year. I was on my way to office when I noticed an old man near Mulugu town. When I spoke to him, he provided me the details of his family members. With the help of police, we took him to his native village in West Godavari district," she recollected.
She also mentioned that several families assume if one of their relatives go missing, they could have either died or can never be traced. "It gives immense happiness not only to the hapless families but also to me, after reuniting such persons with their dear ones. I can’t turn a blind eye to those who are in dire need of assistance," the superwoman says.
Weekend farmer
Apart from her benevolent work for the needy, Taslima has also been a weekend farmer for quite some time now. Started as an effort to understand the hardships being faced by ryots, she is now very keen on entering the fields.
On weekends, she can be spotted in one of the nearby fields where she will be working as a farm labourer. However, after receiving the daily wage of Rs 250, she distributes the amount among other labourers after adding some more from her own pocket.
"It's not for money that I work in the fields. It’s for my own satisfaction. The happiness I receive from working on farm lands is much more than the joy of working in the office. I also bring kids of other labourers to the fields to let them realise the hard work being done by their parents. My mother, husband and children have always been supportive of my principles and works," she says.
This apart, while many labourers were suffering during the lockdown, she distributed groceries among the needy people and also fed several poor persons. She also provided financial aid to scores of helpless families to pay school fees of their children.