Women power

Hello people,

Today is International Women’s day and the celebrations are on in almost all corners of the world for the same. Personally I do not think that women are someone, who are to be celebrated only once a year. Every new day brings new challenges to her and she celebrates the triumphs on those problems almost every day.

My husband wished me today and then my best friend Koustubh sent me a very nice message wishing me a very happy women’s day.  How nice is the feeling when someone so close makes you feel very special.

Today, I would like to take an opportunity here to salute a few women whom I have met in my journey till date and who have taught me valuable lessons of life, which no book can ever teach. These are not famous personalities or super women or feminists, but they come straight out of mundane and ordinary lives and this ordinary nature of theirs has brought out the extra-ordinary in them.

Here goes:

First and foremost, my mom, she is full of life and laughter and she is child at heart. She loves trekking and meeting people. She has been a patient listener and sees only the brighter side of every problem. She has been my constant source of strength and there is no way that I can ever repay her in this life. I sometimes even wonder, when I become a mother, would I do all this to my kid what my mother has been doing so relentlessly all these years?

My mom derives her strength from her mother, my maternal grandmother, who raised my mom and my mama single handedly. In those days, it was very difficult to raise two kids with a meager income. But she did that and with what grace! She travelled almost the whole world, is well read and very much active in her eighties. She dots on me a lot and wants the best for me. I sometimes wonder what are these oldies really made of? They never seem to get tired.

My father’s mother is 86 years old. She gets up at 4:30 am even today and can cook for 15 people single handedly. Kitchen is her world and she loves feeding people. She derives some sort of satisfaction when she sees people eating to their heart’s content. She sends me my favorite, her famous branded chivda every time someone comes to Bangalore. She has raised me and given me all the love and care and I am really fortunate to have 2 grandmothers in my life who are so different from each other, yet strong and influential in my life.

My neighbor, Mrs. Nayak, whose life revolves only around her sons and husband. Though she was graduate in her times, she chose to take care of her house and family. She cooked best of dishes for her children and saw to it that everybody studied and became good and responsible citizens and sons. She shaped the life of entire family with her care and efforts and she never complained once. Looking at her, I am stupefied, how can one be so selfless in giving without expecting anything in return?

My mother-in-law is a gem of a person. She always smiles and her face is always bright and lit up. She is very patient and understanding and she is ever ready to help people. She also chose to be a home maker, did a small business while she raised my husband and his brother. She loves cooking and the culinary ideas which come to her make me go bonkers and I can never imagine that something wonderful can be made from a very ordinary looking ingredient.

My best friend Koustubh’s mother retired from AI and she has raised Koustubh and his elder sis on her own. She has had a lot of physical problems, but she is always smiling and willing to help. Whenever I meet her, I feel like meeting my own mother. She cares a lot for her children and is ready to adjust her life for her children. Their happiness means the world to her.

My friend Snehal’s mom, who is no more, but who fought with Cancer for 16 years with great determination and strong will power. She took many chemotherapies, which were quite painful, but never ever the zest of living lower a bit. She left this world in peace. May her soul rest in peace. Snehal is now married and is carrying on very bravely. She misses her mom at every stage of life, but I am sure, she is somewhere blessing Snehal.

My anju mavshi, who is damn intelligent and has worked in almost all leading software companies. She is simple, down to earth person who does not have any air about being settled in the US and being extremely well off. She is a house maker now, looking after kids and family and enjoys being at home. She likes travelling and reading and she is very soft spoken. I feel a lot of warmth in her and she makes me feel extremely proud of her!

Oh, what are mothers really made of? God, what was really in your mind when you made all these wonderful ladies and mothers??

Is this more sounding a tribute to mothers than women? But how can a woman be complete without becoming a mother? It may not be the ultimate aim in a woman’s life, but motherhood certainly chisels her personality and brings out the best in her.

Hasn’t god made women to nurture, share, care and bring a new life to this world? Why is my generation forgetting this and trying to be like a man or even be better than him, forgetting the basic purpose of her existence? I am not saying that women should sit at home and look after kids and neglect her talents and intelligence. But being tender, emotional is her true self and that exactly makes her different from a man. She need not be ashamed of being emotional and sentimental and physically weak. That is the virtue of a woman, is what I believe. You may chose to differ.

A man and woman complement each other. They can never be like each other or surpass each other. They have to co-exist and that too in harmony. Ok, enough of my preaching now, isn’t it?

I would also like to make a special mention of my friends here. Swati Pandit, Tejaswini Sikka, Gauri Vaidya, Meenal Phatak, Vrishali Kajarekar, Deepali Aitawade and all my friends from work (Priyanka, Sonal, Ruchita, Sagarika, Deepa Joshi, Aabha Karmarkar, Snehal Oke, Rini, Ranjani, Ritu Suri) who are managing their personal and professional lives with a great balance.

Happy Women’s day, dear ladies!!!

You rock the world with your simple yet powerful demeanor.