With pink-colored outer walls and a small courtyard, Rakshitaha Old Age Home defied traditional expectations. Inside, 7-8 senior women sat in warm welcome, their faces lighting up when asked about their favorite colors and foods. Among them sat a woman agricultural worker whose life story was nothing short of extraordinary.
A house that feels like Home
From the outside, Rakshitaha Old Age Home looked indistinguishable from any normal house. The pink-colored walls and small front courtyard created an atmosphere that immediately felt welcoming and homely.
The women residents, hailing from Nalgonda District, Hyderabad, and Coastal Andhra, were well-adapted to their surroundings. Their warm smiles filled the room when conversations began about their names, favorite colors, and beloved foods.
“We’ve watched a lot of N. T. Rama Rao and Nageshwara Rao films!” — All residents, responding in unison about their cinema preferences
The Incredible Agricultural Worker
Among the residents sat a woman whose life exemplified dedication and strength. When casually asked about her work experience, she revealed she had been an agricultural worker for around 40 years—four decades of ensuring food security for herself and countless others. Her daily routine was extraordinary: working from 6 AM to 8 PM, fourteen hours of back-breaking agricultural work. Age had given her a wrinkled appearance, but there was an unmistakable strength about her—the kind that comes naturally from regular connection with the soil. Learning agriculture was as natural as breathing for her. She acquired these skills from her mother and grandparents when very young, making it seem like she was born with this knowledge. Her crops included turmeric, paddy, ragi, jowar, sorghum, and peanuts.
SONGS IN THE FIELDS: During difficult times with scarce water, they relied on wells and motors. But what made the work joyful were the songs—melodious voices rising from the fields, turning labor into celebration.
Cinema Connections
When asked about favorite films, the room came alive. “Nartanashala” was mentioned as one favorite, while another resident shared that “Janani Shivakamini” was her beloved song, connecting them through shared cultural memories.
Childhood Games and Sacred Traditions
Memories of childhood brought smiles as they recalled building castles out of mud and playing traditional games like “Thokkudu Billa” and “Achchana Gillalu”—simple pleasures that shaped their early years. Festival traditions held special significance. During Vijaya Dashami, they would visit the “Shammi” Tree with relatives and spot the “Paala Pitta” bird—activities believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year. Their spiritual journeys included pilgrimages to sacred places. Many recalled visiting Tirupati, while some had even traveled to distant Kashi and Kedarnath, collecting blessings along life’s path.
The Magic Of Playfulness
Simple activity games transformed the atmosphere—”Name the Veggies and Fruit” and a counting game where reaching five meant clapping instead of speaking. These activities lightened moods and revealed something profound. In those moments, the elderly women forgot their age and life’s heaviness, embracing a newness that reconnected them with their playful nature—a quality with the power to heal, unite people, and create a better world.
There was beautiful simplicity in her manner, but this agricultural worker’s life was nothing short of incredible. She and millions of other women who have worked in agriculture have made the most enduring contribution to nation-building, often without fully realizing the magnitude of their impact. All of these incredible women are living among us and yet we are oblivious of their presence and the quiet yet rich lives they lived. Through an activity based conversational engagement, it becomes possible to receive the richness that they can offer our young generation.
In playfulness and shared memories, they continue to teach us about resilience, joy, and the power of simple human connection. A resilience, joy, and human connection only grows when it is shared.