A Mother's Love

ISHA NIGHAT
She was blessed with a son after a year of marriage, but as fate would have it—she is now the mother of 111 girls.

Isha Nighat, 49, was married in 1987, had a son, and was divorced ten years later. Soon after, she started her own boutique with the hopes of earning a livelihood, and completed a diploma in tailoring. In 1999, she got a job in a women’s center for tailoring—a center that was under the J&K Yateem Trust. Soon, Isha was guiding 40 women there on how to earn their livelihood.

After noticing Isha’s work ethic and nature for three years, the Trust’s chairman offered her the job of a warden for a girls-only orphanage. “Girls are a huge responsibility, one that can be only given to a reliable person; and I don’t know why the Chairman Sahib chose me,” shares Isha. She decided to accept the offer. Isha says her religious principles always made her want to contribute to society, and so she took the step. At this point, her son was in 9th, and she says he was able to understand why she took such a move.

So in 2002, Isha joined the girl’s orphanage Banaat Institute. Soon though, she began to feel homesick, and had second thoughts about her decision. “I used to cry during the late hours of the night for my son,” she says. “But with time I started realizing how God gave me this opportunity to be a mother of around 100 kids instead of just one. And these children were in more need of love. God is the best planner and I left my decision in his hands.” Gradually, she says her bond with the children grew stronger. more