THE MOST INSIPIRING WOMEN I KNOW…
This is going to be like a story; a story of a women I know; a story of a women who had influenced me directly or indirectly. No, I am not talking about my mother, who had backed me up then, now and forever. But an old woman, a widower, a lady who stood up as a live example when I was wondering what being “Independent” is all about – My grandmother.
I was born at Trichy, a very conservative town, atleast to my knowledge. I did my kindergarten there – growing up seeing my mother as a homemaker and of course a very caring and loving paternal grandma. My brother and I used to go to Chennai for every vacation but I hardly remember those days. Due to unavoidable reasons, we had to relocate to Chennai leaving my father at Trichy. I still remember that journey from Trichy and Chennai. I was worried how I will survive in that big city, in a new environment, new school, without any friends. I had all the things to worry about and the thought about my granny topped the list - Manorama, who is a sister of my maternal grandma.
I was told that she is going to help us in terms of our education for the welfare of my family. Obviously I was too little to understand what she was doing, but all that I was wondering was why she is not as caring as grandmothers are projected in movies. One cannot say no her. It doesn’t matter what she offers to you, ten day old candy or a fruit that you hate to the core – you better accept it or you will be screwed royally. I was always afraid of her. Whenever her name is said, my friends will be curious to know if I am a granddaughter of yesteryear actress “Manorama”. While I always wished if that could be true, with too much of embarrassment, I will just reply them as “No”.
Time flew. When I complained my father that I am missing him and the life at Trichy, he said only one thing – “You are in safe hands. You should always be thankful for being in Chennai with granny”. That’s when I realized. When I looked back, I realized my granny has given me the best life I could ever ask for. My brother was no more a little boy – he was a bright student at one of the leading schools in Chennai; a sportstar; a well-disciplined boy as exclaimed by many. On the other hand, my mother was an entrepreneur – a professional makeup artist, another “self-made” person in progress. That’s when I realized I should look up to her. I realized she had been a single women for major part of her life and she never backed out because of it. She was able to choose a career on her own; a life partner on her own. She could speak about any topic under the sun – Politics, Government jobs, current affairs, Entertainment and what not? That was a major inspiration. No one could mislead her. She always had an opinion on her own. The best part is, she respected other’s opinions as well. I have always admired the way she was being respected by my relatives and also neighbors. When she retired, she built a house, explored the world with her friends and proved me “it’s never too late”. I realized as years gone by, she had always been my support directly or indirectly.
Little did I know that the hardest part of growing up is realizing my grandma is growing older. A traveler who explored the world as much as she could, have no clue what are the countries she had visited so far. An intelligent women, who could immediately guess a strategy behind every political move, do not have an opinion on her own on current issues. An optimist person is now cribbing about anything and everything that comes her way. A self-made women who had been guiding many for years together, is now listening to them without even thinking twice. The most courageous women I know is asking me stay away from social media and return home early to avoid “unnecessary problems”. I could also see that sarcasm in her, is slowly fading away. I can’t believe what time has done to her. I can’t digest the fact she is getting old and she is slowly losing her self-confidence. I wish she could be the same old strong person who could have all of us under her control. Whatever may, am sure life is not going to be the same for us if she’s gone. And that’s haunting! May god give her all the strength possible to survive this selfish world all by herself, just like how she has been ruling it till date!
Ammama, I may not have expressed how much I love you, but deep down every single action of mine is taken only after thinking through how would you react if you were in that situation. Btw, I wouldn’t have been this proud, even if I was a granddaughter of actress Manorama. You give me goose bumps whenever I talk about you to my friends. :)
I love you and I owe you for what I am today!
Stay healthy and Stay strong!
Not-so-favorite-granddaughter-of-yours
