Sulagitti Narasamma: The 'Mother' of more than 1500 children

Textbooks have talked about great personalities who gave service to humanity. The existence of people like Mother Teresa feels like a fictional narrative in today’s time. But such people with larger hearts and healing hands really existed on earth, and Sulagitti Narasamma was one of them.

The 2023 Republic Day celebration saw Karnataka state display a tableau with Sulagitti Narasamma. Image Source: Twitter.

The year was 2007. Noted writers and authors Ba Ha Ramakumari and Annapoorna Venkatananjappa were visiting the rural areas of Karnataka when they noticed a man being scolded by an old lady. They were curious about the conversation between the duo and paid attention to whatever the old lady was lamenting. To their utter shock, they realised that the man was being scolded for hospitalising his pregnant wife at the time of delivery. On enquiring, they got to know that this grey-haired old woman was herself an expert when it came to delivering babies. This was, thus, the discovery of Sulagitti Narasamma.

Sulagitti Narasamma was not a doctor by profession. She was a simple midwife who was an expert in taking care of pregnant women and performing their deliveries. The Karnataka state honoured the octogenarian with the Kitturu Rani Chennamma Award in 2013 and an honourary doctorate degree from Tumkur University in the following year. After this, Narasamma became popular not only within her native state but also within the whole nation. She was finally conferred with the Padma Shri award, the fourth-highest civilian award in the country, in the year 2018.

A star is not always born. Sulagitti Narasamma never in her life thought that she would one day get a chance to meet the President of India. She just performed her skills well. She simply wanted to help the people.

Sulagiti Narasamma receiving an award from the then-president of India, Ram Nath Kovind. Image source: Twitter.

Narasamma was born in 1920 when India was under British dominion in a small village in Tumkur, Karnataka. At the age of 12, she was married off. Her family was never rich to send her to school. In fact, she lived the same lifestyle all throughout her life. She had known nothing more than her language i.e. Telugu.

After marriage, Narasamma had 12 children, although she lost four of them at a very young age. By the time she became famous, Narasamma was a grandmother to a total of 36 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But in reality, she gave birth to more than 1500 children!

At the age of 20, Narasamma's grandmother asked her to assist her in the delivery of her aunt. Her grandmother, Marigemma, was also a midwife. This was when Narasamma learnt the skills needed for delivering babies. She got a chance to practice her skills whenever nomadic tribes visited their village.

The poor never had money to visit a doctor or a nearby nursing home. Even travelling to see a doctor required money and they never had any. The period of pregnancy required attention and care and because of Narasamma's expertise, she became the go-to person for any pregnant women in the neighbourhood.

What made Narasamma different from any mid-wife? As she kept on practising her midwifery skills, her knowledge about the foetus grew. Having no formal education her entire life, she mastered all the tactics herself. She could check the pulses of the foetus while in the mother's womb without any instruments.

Sulagitti means delivery work. Using this term as a preface to her name 'Narasamma' itself mentions her popularity. After working selflessly for almost six decades, the grandmother with grey hair gained the recognition she deserved. Later, in 2018 she breathed her last. She was honoured with a state funeral. Never ever in her life, she must have thought that her little act of kindness would one day make her a state icon.

The life of Sulagitti Narasamma was a simple yet ongoing learning process. The deeds of such souls with helping hands make the world hold its trust towards humanity.