At 73, Maya Kaul’s days revolve around children, classrooms, and questions of dignity. She oversees 60 anganwadis across Madhya Pradesh, empowers women to earn independently, and is now opening a library — all without ever calling herself a changemaker.
But this life of service began not with certainty, but with displacement.
Long before she became known as the woman supporting 60 anganwadis — or as the mother of writer and actor Manav Kaul — Maya Kaul was simply trying to hold a family together.
The winter of 1989 changed everything.
When Kashmir was left behind
Like every year, Maya travelled from Baramulla, Kashmir, to Hoshangabad to spend the holidays with her mother. She arrived with a single suitcase and her two young sons, Manas and Manav. Her husband, Manohar Das Kaul, a marine engineer with the Irrigation Department, stayed back in Kashmir.
Life felt routine — until it wasn’t.
As violence engulfed the Valley, Maya found herself unable to return. Manohar stayed back, hoping to evacuate relatives and somehow retain his government job. What followed was a long, uncertain separation.
“It was an extremely difficult phase. We had nothing except education and our two sons. There were no Kashmiris in Hoshangabad, and people here had no idea about the situation there. Rumours spread that perhaps my husband had abandoned me. For my mother, who herself was a single parent, it was equally hard,” Maya recalls.
Left: Maya with her husband Manohar | Right: Manas and Manav as children Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
As the situation worsened, Manohar went into hiding. Their home was occupied. Eventually, leaving everything behind, he too reached Hoshangabad.
For years, he waited — hoping to reclaim his job and return to Kashmir. But his office had been burnt down. There were no records left to prove he had ever worked there. “Someone told me to take retirement so at least I’d get some money,” Manohar had once shared. Without documents, even that never came.
With no stable income and limited opportunities in a small town, the family struggled. Maya, however, refused to give up.
Returning to education — out of necessity
Maya held a master’s degree in Hindi and had written a thesis on Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s Kurukshetra. Marriage and years of domestic responsibilities had pushed her academic life into the background.
In Kashmir, Hindi literature had little space. In Hoshangabad, circumstances forced her to return to it.
She began by taking tuition classes for children. With no prior teaching experience, even this was hard. That’s when she thought — if she could somehow get a job in a school, things might stabilise.
“I was actively looking for a job when I heard that someone had opened a school in the fishermen’s settlement. I went there to ask for work. They offered me the post of principal for Rs 300, but with a condition. It would be my responsibility to bring children to the school and collect their fees. Only if students enrolled and paid would my Rs 300 be arranged,” Maya recalls.
Children began coming — but they didn’t bring fees.
“When I went to their homes to collect fees, I was torn by what I saw. In households struggling for food, how could education be a priority?” she says.
“I didn’t have money to help them. In fact, I was the one who needed their help so that I could raise my own children. So I went to them with employment.”
When education met livelihood
The next day, Maya went door to door, asking women if they would like to earn money by making papads, spices, and similar items to pay their children’s fees. The women agreed — assuming she was only talking, not acting.
But the very next day, she arrived with all the materials.
Maya Kaul encouraged women to earn through ‘papad’ and spice-making so they could pay their children’s school fees and build self-reliance. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
After school hours, women gathered at the school with rolling pins and boards. They made papads, sold them, and used the earnings to pay their children’s fees. The school began functioning, and Maya continued taking tuitions as well.
Soon, the work expanded. She helped women open bank accounts, register an NGO, and even choose directors from among themselves — ensuring they were truly self-reliant.
Raising sons while rebuilding a life
Meanwhile, Manas and Manav were growing up.
When they stayed up late studying, Maya stayed awake with them. She decided to use that time productively. Since legal knowledge was crucial to NGO work, she went on to earn a law degree.
Manas began taking tuitions from Class 10 to support the family. Younger Manav, however, showed little interest in academics.
One day, he opened a biscuit stall. Another day, a breakdance class called Sunny Dance Class. Sometimes he sold kites. Sometimes he ran Brothers Library, renting books for a few coins.
One day, young Manav would open a biscuit stall; another day, a breakdance class called Sunny Dance Class. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
Both Maya and her mother deeply loved Hindi literature — a legacy they passed on to the boys.
“Most parents dream of their children becoming doctors or engineers. My mother used to say, ‘I wish someone in our family would become a writer’,” Maya smiles.
Manav Kaul, the actor, artist and writer, with his mother Maya Kaul. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
Manas leaned toward computers. Manav, even as a child, was mesmerised by books like Chandrakanta Santati and Chitralekha. Little did anyone know that this love for literature would one day become his identity.
Growing up away from home
The transition from the cold valleys of Kashmir to the hot lanes of Hoshangabad wasn’t easy for the boys either.
In their first summer, both developed painful boils. They didn’t know how to play marbles or swim in rivers. Local boys, having never seen such fair-skinned children, teased them by calling them ‘Kashmir ki kali’.
Maya kept them engaged. She enrolled Manas in Taekwondo and Manav in swimming. Both excelled — Manas earned a black belt, and Manav won 14 medals and set several swimming records.
Manav won 14 medals and set several swimming records. Photograph: (Manav Kaul)
After graduation, Manas got a job in Bhopal. Manav was selected for the SAI hostel there. Maya moved to Bhopal with her children.
One day, Manav watched a play and decided he wanted to do theatre.
When he told his parents, both were stunned. Manav was about to get a government job under the sports quota. Yet Maya told him, “You can’t have laddoosin both hands. If you want theatre, choose that.”
Manav Kaul with veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
And Manav chose his heart.
“He mentions this in every interview today. He even told me he’d take the job just to keep me happy. But the truth is — I didn’t want him to ever say, ‘I could have been Amitabh Bachchan, but you stopped me’,” Maya laughs.
The struggle in Mumbai was long and difficult for Manav. In such circumstances, Maya could have limited herself to her family — but she didn’t. But Maya did not stop her work.
Building Takshashila, one anganwadi at a time
In Bhopal, Maya noticed that while anganwadis had basic infrastructure, they lacked essentials necessary for dignity — chairs, uniforms, umbrellas, toys.
She laid the foundation of her NGO, Takshashila, and began supplying these essentials.
Maya Kaul started her NGO ‘Takshashila’ and began supplying essentials to anganwadis. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
The work grew steadily. She adopted 20 anganwadis — teaching girls, providing uniforms, chairs, notebooks, pencils, toys, and supporting anganwadi workers.
Years later, Manas was transferred to Indore and built a house there. He wanted his mother — who had lived her entire life in rented homes — to finally have one of her own.
Fifteen years ago, Maya moved to Indore. Her work followed her. Here, she expanded Takshashila further — adopting 40 more anganwadis.
A son’s support, a mother’s joy
Today, Maya oversees all 60 anganwadis. Her younger son Manav — now a renowned writer and artist — takes care of the financial responsibilities.
“If even one girl learns a few English words, my mother jumps with joy. That’s where her happiness lies. She does what gives her joy, and I simply support her — because giving her happiness gives me happiness. It’s a very selfish act of joy,” Manav smiles.
Maya Kaul with her younger son, Manav Kaul. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)Maya Kaul with her elder son, Manas Kaul. Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
At 73, Maya lives a full, vibrant life. Life has been hard — but embracing every hardship with a smile, she has:
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Written a thesis on Kurukshetraby Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
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Earned a law degree
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Made hundreds of women self-reliant
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Transformed the lives of countless children
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Served as Chairperson of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Council
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Received numerous awards for women’s empowerment
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Written Blue Bicycle (poetry) and Laughing Sunshine (short stories)
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Adopted 60 anganwadis, three girls, and 10 children battling AIDS
She celebrates Karva Chauth (Indian Hindu festival typically for married women) with widows, laughs with children, and convinces senior citizens to go river rafting in the name of boating.
She still doesn’t want to stop.
A library, and a life still unfolding
Now, in Indore, Maya and Manav are opening a library.
Takshashila library Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
“I want people to read. I’ll organise quizzes on books — and whoever answers correctly, I’ll serve them free tea,” Maya says, laughing.
And Manav adds, “To me, my mother feels like a little girl. Whenever I talk to her, it feels like I’m talking to a friend full of enthusiasm. She is so full of life that it energises me.”
Manav Kaul with his mother Maya Kaul Photograph: (Maya Kaul)
She keeps learning, keeps moving, keeps helping — and says:
“Every moment — time itself and the events within it — astonish me.
Books speak powerfully through silence.
Every person is a good novel in themselves.
And what does one really need from life?
To live just this much — and to live only this much.
Society, in itself, is a joyful message.
Read books and wander without purpose.
Life is the ultimate expression of simplicity.”
