From cold-hearted rowdy' to woman of compassion

Chennai: While most of her classmates chose cosier careers in Commerce, Management and the like, Pranitha Timothy decided to be a Human Rights' campaigner, saving modern day slaves.

Known on her Women’s Christian College (WCC) campus as a notorious lady rowdy, Pranitha, during her 10 years with the International Justice Mission, along with her team, helped liberate over 7,000 men, women and children from bonded labour in different parts of South India.

Born to ‘missionary doctor’ parents, the 41-year-old raised in Karnataka, had to be separated from her parents in her sixth standard to be sent to a boarding school. She blamed it on her parents’ religion and their desire to serve the community.

“When I was in the 4th grade, I had severe asthma and was given a drug, which worked but left black patches all over my body. I soon became obsessed with my identity. I have two sisters and both of them are very beautiful and people started looking at me very differently. I had studied in a local school in Yadgiri. When my parents sent me to a public school in Kotagiri, I was expected to speak in English, which was new to me. I became even more rebellious to survive. My siblings were in the same school – my older sister and my brother. They were very well established,” she said about her early life.

As a ‘nobody’, she chose to be rebellious. “People would hesitate to sit with me and share things with me because of my skin problem. That made me very hardhearted. I didn’t care about anybody or anything. After 10th grade, it became hard for my principal to manage me. They insisted that my parents put me in another school. I went to Bangalore – Baldwin Girls School where I almost got chucked out again. But something happened and the warden got chucked out. However, there were enough complaints against me already. My parents had to save me each time,” she said overwhelmed.

At WCC, where she studied Home Science, she was referred to as ‘CC’ or ‘Cold and Calculated’. “I became more focused on human rights and standing up for what is different. But I also had the sadistic side to me. I would ensure that I made at least one person cry every day, just to show people that I was bigger than them. The complaints against me reached its peak when I decided to shave my hair as a hairstyle and many others followed suit. The staff wanted me to say that I did it for a spiritual reason - that I went to Tirupati. They suspended me. My parents spoke to the principal and I had to sign a contract with the college saying that I will not exhibit deranged behaviour again,” she said giggling.

Post-WCC, Pranitha was unable to let go of her addictions, which included drinking, smoking and pornography. While on her way to her sister’s place in Hyderabad, she read a book titled ‘He came to set the captives free’ and found the story similar to hers. It was then that she decided to attempt to change.  Pursuing Masters in Social Work from Madras Christian College, she came across many from WCC who found her so different.  “From someone so hardhearted, I became someone who would cry when I saw anyone in pain or suffering or in need,” she said joyfully.

‘Rescues’ to Remember

We got beaten up by a group of slave masters in 2003, when I had first joined the International Justice Mission where I worked for a bit over 10 years. It was then that I was sure of working for bonded labourers. We went to that same village - in the outskirts of Bengaluru - again in 2005. We were hoping to rescue between 100 and 300 labourers. However, there was a tip off. We were in about five cars, surrounded by so many people. Papers reported it as a mob of between 500 to 1,000 people. They were angry. They kept hitting the cars. They had kerosene. I didn't expect to live. I tried to call my husband to inform him that I won't be seeing him again. We were stuck there for more than 4 to 5 hours. Somehow, miraculously, we found a way out and escaped. The saddest part was that we couldn't rescue the labourers. We managed to rescue them later.

In 2009, we went to Tirupati to rescue labourers who were bonded for 25 years. It is a very risky area and we always had trouble there. When we entered the rice mill, the labourers were not there. We saw fire, food half eaten and realised that people had been there. Somehow, our investigators found them and quickly brought them back. However, we had to get their belongings, especially their certificates. The labourers were afraid.  Three of us from the team entered the mill in a car and the labourers in a van. We were surrounded by a mob of 50 people.

They hijacked the van. I somehow managed to get into the van to assure the labourers I would be there for them. Everyone was crying and cursing us. I had a choice to walk out. IJM was there with the labourers throughout the entire siege. My team members kept telling me to get out. I could, but I found it difficult to leave the labourers who trusted us. Finally at night, I realised I was the danger for them. I decided to leave the van but assured them I was right there. By 9:30 pm, they gave us our car keys and we escaped with the labourers.

An Inward Change

From a person who was introverted and shy, Pranitha became very bold. The inward change made her contribute better to every situation around her.

 “I remember the days when I worked with mentally challenged children at ASHA – a school for mentally challenged in Egmore. I would sit with the mothers and try to imagine their plight when the child is born. I began to question things. It was amazing to see the children’s intellect and their ability to remember things. I later worked in the psychiatry ward at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for six months and the accident ward in Royapettah Hospital for six months,” she said.

In the same year of her graduation, Pranitha was diagnosed with a brain tumour. “I could not swallow food. I had severe pain in my right shoulder, neck and back. I was slowly realising that something was wrong. I used to have a very loud voice, which I felt was slowly going. No one believed me. When I went to NIMHANS, Bangalore, six doctors saw me and noticed paralysis. They said something was seriously wrong with me. They diagnosed me with Muscular Neuro Dystrophy. At CMC, Vellore I was diagnosed with brain tumour. The tumour had grown from my skull to my spine. My vocal chords were paralysed. I went in for surgery on September, 13, 1997 and the doctors warned me and my family that anything could happen.

Post-surgery, the young woman had lost her voice completely. During the course of her recovery, she decided to start working. “Everyone shouted at me as I was too weak, but I still didn’t give up. I couldn’t even attend any job interview. I worked in a bookstore in Kolar for some time before I took up job to work for a project called Prisoners Fellowship of India, with prisoners in Karnataka. We would find out prisoners who had killed their wives and then look for their children.

The Project was the brainchild of a couple - Reny George and his wife Teena. We would go to the villages and bring back the children of the prisoners. All of us lived in a three bedroom house - 47 kids, the couple, their daughter, myself and two other guys, wives of prisoners and some prisoners, who came out on parole. My job was to take care of the kids and to help them overcome their trauma,” said Pranitha.