The year 2020 brought pain and uncertainty to countless families in Delhi. Amid the violence and unrest of the Delhi riots, many innocent lives were lost, ripping families off their livelihoods and children off their childhoods.One such family was Moosa’s, whose lives changed forever on an ordinary day into an avalanche of grief.
On 23 February, 2020, his father Furqan, stepped out of his house to bring snacks for Moosa and his siblings only to return lifeless.
“He (Furqan) didn’t know that riots were going on. He had gone out of the house to get a packet of chips for the children, but he did not return for a long time. Then I found out that riots were happening. I got scared, thinking that nothing might have happened to him .”Firdos, Moosa’s mother said while talking to the Shaagird Foundation.
“Since the time he (Furqan) has left, I have been living in constant tension. Earlier, I didn’t have to worry about anything, he used to take care of the children’s studies, their meals, and everything else. Now that he is not here, I have to manage everything alone,” she added.
Furqan, the sole breadwinner of the family, was a hardworking father, spending his days bringing glee in the lives of children.
“My father was very kind. He took very good care of us and used to take us out for rides on their bikes,” Moosa said while talking to the Shaagird Foundation.
“Since he left, when the children see other fathers riding bikes, they only ask why their father left and whether he will ever come back again,” Firdos continued the conversation.
“I have no answer. What should I say? Where would their father have gone? Where did he go?” she added. A wave of grief swept over her.
The Delhi riots left behind as many as 23 widows, six years later, these widows still loom in uncertainty, working hard to give a secured future to their children. Firdos is one such widow.
“If my children do not study, how will they move forward in life? I really want to educate them, but their school fees are so high that I am unable to pay them,” Firdos told Shaagird Foundation, wiping her tears with the edge of her dupatta.
Amidst the time when the Firdos chose passivity, Shaagird Foundation became a source of hope, sponsoring Moosa and his sibling education, helping them create a better future.
Education was Furqan and Farooq’s dreams. With Furqan’s death it was crushed, now rising again through the Shaagird Foundation.
“I am very happy that my children’s education has started again. My children are going back to school” Firdos said, wiping her tears with the edge of her dupatta, but this time it was tears of happiness.