By Denis Giles
A few meters ahead of Ograbraj Junction, in the South Andaman district, a well projected signboard on the road side is something which cannot be easily missed. It’s not an ordinary signboard but a relief to many, especially ladies travelling on this stretch of Andaman’s National Highway, passing through a sparsely populated village. ‘WASH ROOM’ it says, painted by hand unlike the popular flex printing boards or glow sign boards, which is everywhere.
This is a story of a retired forest officer and his retired teacher wife. This is the story of Babu Ranger and his wife Lizy John who support more than twenty-five families today. And it all started because of an empathy towards the sufferings of people especially ladies.
Having served in the Department of Environment & Forest in the A&N Administration, and rising to the post of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mr. Muttapally Varghese Babu, popularly known as ‘Babu Ranger’ never had a smooth career. Having associated himself with the workers union of his department, Babu Ranger was always on his toes, preparing for a pre-mature retirement, as he became quite unpopular among his seniors. But fortunately, with the blessings of the Almighty, he could complete his tenure in the department, reaching up to the position of DCF Wildlife before his retirement.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Lizy John had served her career as a school teacher, but always feared the job of her husband. It was then that the couple had decided to invest in a land, where they could spend their remaining lives peacefully, whatever the circumstance be because of the job uncertainty.
The couple had purchased this piece of land before the Tsunami of 2004. On the Boxing Day Tsunami, like many of the low-lying areas in the islands, their investment was engulfed by the Tsunami waters. It took years to reclaim the submerged land and by 2010 the couple could construct a dwelling place for themselves. Hailing from a farming community of Betapur in the Middle Andaman, Babu Ranger also utilized the land to create a horticulture farm. Starting with coconut trees, Babu Ranger went on to extend his farm with varieties of fruit bearing trees and vegetables for years.
Though blessed with two children who became doctors, both the children had their destiny elsewhere. While their son serves as a Gynaecologist in the Indian Army, the daughter practices her medicine in Singapore, leaving the old couple behind in the Islands.
It was during one of the visits of their children to Andamans, the family had gone out for shopping in one of the biggest garment showrooms in the city. Having spent few hours in the showroom, the ladies in the family looked out for a washroom to ease themselves. But to their utter surprise, they were guided to the Bus Terminus to use the public washroom, which as expected remained in an unhygienic state. The ladies working in the showroom had been using the same, with no other options. This made Lizy John think about the uncomfortable situations the ladies are forced into, especially while traveling long distances.
Returning home, the couple decided to construct a decent washroom in their premises. A good amount was spent on it and a hand painted signboard by Lizy John ‘WASH ROOM’ was placed on the roadside. It was a Pay & Use washroom, which today is a blessing in disguise to travellers on the National Highway (Andaman Trunk Road).
As the ‘WASH ROOM’ became well known, people started walking in. This was the time when Lizy John decided to offer some eateries for the visitors. She cooked Appams and placed it for sale in a duplex structure constructed at the entrance. A few did sell but the feedback wasn’t very encouraging as Appam was nothing special for the visitors. Not giving up, Lizy decided to modify her cuisine turning it into a cake form and named it ‘Rice Cake’. This was something new for the visitors and slowly orders for Rice Cakes started pouring in. Taking it further, the couple decided to sell their organic farm products either raw or by adding value to it.
Today a simple ‘WASH ROOM’ has turned out to be a popular Agro Café and Farm, supporting more than twenty-five families. It sells varieties of value-added organic farm products Viz. Pickles, Sugarcane Juice, Coconut Ice Creams, Puddings, Virgin Coconut Oil, fruits, vegetables and not the least the most popular of all ‘Rice Cakes’, thus setting an example of empathy and a strong determination.
The story of the old yet determined couple Babu Ranger and Lizy John is an example of simplicity, empathy and a strong will, guiding many with a message, ‘Never Give Up’.