Tribal widow Tripura Bauri, watched as workers put the finishing touches to her modest mausoleum, standing beside her late husband’s tomb at a local burial ground in Sadhudanga village, Purulia.
Some might call it madness, but for 79-year-old tribal widow Tripura Bauri it has been a “mission of love”, On Sunday, she watched as workers put the finishing touches to her modest mausoleum, standing beside her late husband’s tomb at a local burial ground in Sadhudanga village, Purulia.
About three years back, Bauri suddenly felt an urge to build her own mausoleum, but she was living off a paltry widow pension and there was very little left from that to spend on grander things. But her commitment and sincerity helped her achieve her dream. So, instead of asking her children or relatives for money, she started saving a major portion of her pension by cutting down on many of her daily expenses, including meals.
Bauri has her logic for doing this. “When he was alive, he had done everything for our family to make sure we were happy and comfortable. And he’s continued to look after me even after death — my only income is the widow pension, and he is the reason I am getting it. This is why I wanted to be buried beside him,” she said.
But why did she scrimp and save to fulfil the dream, when the money could easily have come from her children? “First of all, this is my personal tribute to my husband, and I wanted to spend my own money to build it. Besides, my children might think this is a very strange wish. This is why I decided to do it on my own,” she said.
Fortunately, Bauri found a friend who went out of his way to help her out. A Ray Chaudhuri, the accountant of the bank where her pension was deposited, helped her open a separate savings bank account where she saved a portion of her pension. “I advised her to do this so that she can earn some extra interest on it,” Chaudhuri said.
That’s not all. Chaudhuri also managed to convince a local construction material merchant, who’s also an account-holder in the same bank, to give her white marble at a subsidised rate.
Chaudhuri says he was charmed by Bauri’s love for her late husband. “Nowadays, people are so selfish, even in their relations with near and dear ones. And here is an example of eternal love for someone who is no more in this world, I am happy to have been able to play a small role in helping her realise her dream,” he said.
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