Fula Devi
Fula Devi (1956 – 22 July 2006) lived in Bihar, India. This institution was established in her memory. She was the mother of the institution's co-founder and the wife of its first secretary.
Those who knew her remember the quiet kindness with which she treated people in everyday life.
She Preserved Dignity
During a blanket distribution organised by the institution in 2025, a former daily labourer who had worked for the family shared a memory from many years earlier.
He recalled that when he came to the house at the end of each working day, Fula Devi fed him and repeatedly asked him to eat a little more so that he would not feel shy about eating enough.
She Helped Quietly
A woman who later spoke to Fula Devi's son remembered that Fula Devi would quietly give her whatever money she could afford and always treated her with respect.
She Encouraged Independence
She encouraged her daughters to become educated and financially independent.
She supported them in applying for demanding jobs that were often considered unsuitable for women at the time.
She Respected Every Faith
Although she was a deeply religious Hindu, she encouraged her children to learn about any religion they wished to explore.
Her family remembers her saying that all gods are one and that religions teach the same lessons, like the same syllabus taught under different education boards.
These photographs were taken during a traditional Kanwar Yatra in which Fula Devi and her family walked approximately 105 km from Sultanganj to Deoghar while carrying holy water from the Ganges.
A Teaching Remembered
Her family remembers her saying:
Serve the living.
Feed others. Give water to a cow.
That's worship.