In a rare moment of leisure, Nalini Rammurthy sits in her Jamshedpur home. Picture by Bhola Prasad

There?s so much more one could do if the day had more than 24 hours. Right?

Wrong, if one were to ask Nalini Rammurthy. While others are busy cribbing about lack of time to live out their dreams, Nalini lives it out perfectly.

She has been at it for the past 20 years, consistently moving on to newer projects. A senior executive committee member of All India Women?s Conference, former president of the Inner Wheel Club, and more, as one comes to know when one tries to track down her activities through the years, which would have tired off most people, but not Nalini.

The secret of what keeps her going and doing things that people only wistfully think of doing, is something one would love to know.

Before one starts making difficult guesses, maybe one should simply reflect on her zest for doing things. Like the way her face lights up at the mention of work. Now, that?s not something common, is it?

Work gives her an opportunity to interact with people, and extend a helping hand if possible. And that?s what she likes best.

As secretary of DBMS English School, she gets to do a lot of this in her administrative capacity, and that keeps her busy and happy.

?It gives me immense pleasure to know people, to help them in whatever little way I can,? admits Nalini.

While her DBMS stint gives her recognition, it?s not easy for her to put behind all that she has done earlier, especially as member of the Inner Wheel Club, where she worked on projects she could personally and emotionally relate to. ?Though I am a former president, I remain attached with its activities,? she says.

The beautiful part is that at home no one?s complaining of how she doesn?t give them time. Usually that?s the first complaint. Not in the case of Nalini. If in the mornings, school keeps her busy, she ensures that she gives enough time for her home in the afternoons. ?I ensure that whenever my husband leaves or comes back home, I am there to spend quality time with him. He has always encouraged me to go ahead with my projects,? she says, beaming.

Little though he must have imagined how far his encouragement would take her, and the number of projects she would go on to involve herself in. Like her involvement as a member of the Indian Cancer Society, where she takes it upon herself to ensure that its Thursday clinic, for detecting cancer cases, is run smoothly.

?Quite a lot of people come to the clinic from the nearby areas and the needy are treated at nominal charges, but we ensure that people approaching us really need the help,? she says, mentioning that it?s important for them to know the case history of the patients approaching them.

Well-settled in the city, Nalini was born and brought up in Nasik. Marriage brought her to the steel city, where she went on to do all she wanted. ?People are so friendly here, I never missed my hometown,? she says.

It also helped that she had in-laws, who egged her on to actively pursue social work. Having lost her own father at a tender age, in her father-in-law she found the father figure who could guide her.

Inspired by the work done in a clinic next to her house, Nalini initially wanted to be a doctor. A dream that didn?t materialise due to personal problems, but that hardly hampered her desire to move on.

?My elder brother never made us realise the absence of our father. He was constantly by our side and helped us pursue our studies. It would have been unfair on our part to burden him further with more responsibilities,? she reflects.

The sense of shouldering responsibility, which she saw in her brother, is something she imbibed from him.

?I always remain focussed on my commitments. I was around when my children needed me in their growing years and they reciprocated beautifully by supporting me. Both my sons are my friends and my support system,? she says, proudly.

She feels blessed that it is so, as being attached with a few old-age homes, she knows what the situation in the world is like, how children do not even come to meet their old parents.

Just spending some time with them can make so much difference, she says.

?They are abandoned by their own children, their plight can only be imagined,? says Nalini, district co-ordinator for senior citizens.

Give her credit for packing in so much in one day, and she gets all coy and shy and brushes the praise away with modesty.

?It depends solely on individuals, how they can make best use of the day. I prefer starting the day early to engage myself in as many activities as possible,? she says, revealing at last the secret one had been trying to discover. But to make use of this secret, one has to first develop the zest she has, who takes an active interest in everything, from gardening to AIDS.

Who, even when she is forced to remain indoors following an infection, is keeping up with work through the phone. ?There is no scope for rest,? she says, admitting she is more comfortable working than resting.

No wonder her 24 hours have so much more life in them than for most people.

Saswati Mukherjee