This Republic Day, JWB in association with Nayaab Jewels, search for little heroes of Jaipur. With mothers by our side as our companions, see how we unfolded some HERoic tales of the day.  

Nayaab ‘HERo’.

Hiding behind her mother, a young girl in a skirt peeped at us with a shy smile!

‘Hey pretty girl,’ I uttered cheerfully! ‘I am Vaanisha, and I am six years old,’ she said coyly!

She was so cute and shy! Awwwwwww! Her mother, Mrs Vijaylaxmi, informed us that her daughter is very shy at first but once you get, to know her, you have to tell her to stay quiet! Aaannndddd I wanted to meet this latter version of ‘Vaanisha’, I decided instantly!

We got ourselves seated outside in natural light, soaked in some winter sun and quizzed Vaanisha regarding her school, her best friends, her favorite fairytale, etc. etc..! She responded sheepishly. Hmm..I have to work harder I thought! Just when her mother returned, she hugged her in an instant!

‘She is your fan, Vijaylaxmi’, I added! Vaanisha, felt a little comfortable with her mother around (oh the sweet, mother-daughter bond), as she opened to us a bit. ‘I know what a Republic Day is! We get toffees to eat this day’, she twittered! Her mother and I couldn’t hold our laughter!

Me: ‘So, Vaanisha, today mumma will tell you a different kind of story, a story of a hero! Do you like stories?’

‘Yesssssss’! She jumped!

I presented Vijaylaxmi with a pair of glittering earrings from that looked lovely on her, and promised Vaanisha that there was a surprise hidden for her, right at the end of the story!

A mother tells a story of a hero to her daughter. #TakeThree.

Although we had planned ‘Kasturba Gandhi’ to be Vaanisha’s hero for the day, her mother had a different insight!

Vijaylaxmi: I have picked Rani Laxmi Bai for you, as you recently did a play for the same at school! Okay, Vaanshia?

So once upon a time, there lived a brave girl called Laxmi Bai. She was brought up like a princess, just like you, but those times were different. Women were not allowed to study and fight like boys but she was an exception. She fought with Britishers in order to take back her home, India!

‘Mumma, who were Britishers’? Vaanisha asked innocently.

To this, her mother explained that these were the people who had taken away our home from us.

‘Hawwww’, she exclaimed.

Vijaylaxmi: Yes and this lady fought bravely against them and died for our country at a very young age!

Vaanisha was busy in own antics by now, jumping from her seat, here and there! Now she is taking an 180 degree turn, I thought. She listened to the rest of the story by making some really funny faces and at the end added, ‘This story was different from that of Cinderella’s’!

‘Yes,’ I and Vijaylaxmi echoed in unison! This is why it was important we explained it to her.

Me: So, are you a hero, too, Vaanshia?

She waited for her mother to say something. After some eye contact, she yelled, ‘Yes, I am’. Yayyyyyy!

And this was the moment I had been waiting for! I informed Vaanisha that, as promised she will get a new kind of medal for being such a brave girl! Her eyes lit up this time. Vijaylaxmi, unclipped one of her glittering Nayaab earrings and pinned it to her daughter as a sign of heroism! Vaanisha couldn’t seem to take eyes off her new medal! With this, she rode away on a bicycle and returned only when we were about to leave. She wanted to break this news to her friends, we thought!

So here is how we witnessed the arrival of a little HERo in town, a little unsure one, a little carefree one, but definitely, a HERo in the making!

‘See you soon, didi,’ Vaanisha waved at us.

‘See you soon, HERo,’ with this we parted!

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