Meet this mother of 40 children

ALLAHABAD:Today as you hug your mother in the morning and wish her happy Mother's Day,meet a mother who would receive greetings from her 40 children. At least, thisis the number she can recollect at the age of 68. The number, she says, may evenbe more. All her children are now well settled in various parts of the countryand abroad. Shakila Khan took care of these children irrespective oftheir age, caste, religion or places they were picked up from. What drove thewoman to show this zeal. "My mother had once me to take care of poor anddowntrodden children," she says.For Neha, Archana, Roja, Malini,Radhika, Tahira, Shipra, Rajkumar, Robert and many more, Shakila is amma, ammi,mom, mataji and even Luxmi amma (because some think that she brought prosperityin their lives). Most of Shakila's children were either found in garbage bins orcame from slums. Shakila's efforts changed the destiny of thesechildren. Seven girls raised by her are now married and well settled in Indiaand abroad. In fact, she took care of studies from class VIIIonward, of five children belonging to the slums of the city and who havecompeted their studies with two girls obtaining the doctorate degree fromAllahabad University while one is preparing for civil services after completinglaw from AU. Similarly, among the two boys, one, who is an MBA from AU, isserving in a multinational in Gujarat while the other one is a practising lawyerin Allahabad High Court. Likewise, around 30 children of thisuniversal mother have been adopted by various families in UP and other states.Though, all children are equally valuable for humble Shakila, whostarted her work way back in 1971, Neha, Archana, Roja and Soni will always bespecial. Among these Neha, the name given by Shakila herself, was picked up fromthe mortuary of SRN Hospital where she was assumed dead along with her motherand sister as police had found them lying on the railway track."Shewas admitted in SRN Hospital and was treated for three months after which shestayed in our house for around four years. She was given artificial limbsmanufactured from Kanpur and later she was adopted by a Swedish couple. Atprsent she is pursuing her education in a college," said Shakila. Similarly,Roja, the girl who was found in a garbage bin, was adopted by a German familywhile Archana, who is blind, was adopted by an affluent businessman ofDelhi."The younger generation should treat everyday as Mother's Dayand shower all their affection on their mothers," Shakila says. Regarding herefforts she says it became possible due to moral and monetary support from herown two daughters and two sons.