A Childhood That Built Inner Strength

Lucy Yashoda’s story begins with loss. She lost her mother at the age of eight and grew up with a rageaholic father and a stepmother, in a home that offered little warmth. Yet that difficult start, she says, is what shaped her into a more sensitive, empathetic adult, someone who would later spend her life helping others navigate their own hardships.

Finding Inspiration in Mother Teresa

A defining moment in Lucy’s life was meeting Mother Teresa in person. That encounter, and her lasting association with the Missionaries of Charity, became the foundation of her lifelong commitment to service. Decades later, she remains an active volunteer with the Mother House, supporting whatever causes need her help.

Rebuilding After Marriage and Motherhood

When her marriage ended after her husband became an alcoholic, Lucy raised her two daughters alone. With only a basic degree and no real job skills, she threw herself into learning, training as an abacus instructor, studying English-language teaching, completing Montessori teacher training, and pursuing counselling psychology. This drive to keep growing eventually led her to open her own Montessori school, complete with a teacher-training wing and abacus centre.

Nine Years Shaping Education Across India

For about nine years, Lucy worked with SIP Abacus, a programme she describes as a powerful tool for mental calculation, focus and confidence, most effective when children practice just ten minutes a day, consistently, from a young age. The role took her across India as a trainer of trainers, where she discovered that no two communities learn the same way. That insight shaped her approach to designing localized curricula for schools, especially in remote and underserved areas.

Giving Back to Girls, Elders and the Underserved

Lucy’s passion for grassroots education led her to set up non-formal learning centres in the slums of Howrah, West Bengal, where girls who are pulled into household duties at a young age can still access two hours of schooling a day. More recently, she has been volunteering with an elderly woman connected to the Missionaries of Charity, helping her manage bank accounts and find a better standard of living. Along the way, Lucy has quietly become a trusted guide for elderly people navigating banking and estate matters.

A Life Still in Motion

Today, with both daughters married and settled, Lucy has more time for herself, and she spends much of it in service to others, working with mothers, young girls and youth in Calcutta’s communities. A long-time member of Marzi, she stepped back from some group activities due to travel between Bangalore and Calcutta, but remains impressed by the platform.

Lucy’s journey, from a painful childhood to a life devoted to education and quiet acts of kindness, is a reminder that resilience often becomes its own form of purpose.