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Friday 30 January 2015

Taking heart again

There cannot be a better place than home where inspiration begins. I would be proud to state that my grand mother is an epitome of fortitude, grace and womanhood. A woman in her twilight years, despite having gone through happiness and sorrows that life has to offer in myriad ways, she never fails to flash an infectious child-like smile. 

There is a saying by William W. Purkey.

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.” 


I always marvel at her relentless source of energy to do everything above, in spite of coming across many unprincipled-critics, heart-breakers, back-stabbers, and never losing faith in humanity and womanhood. I bow to her prowess!


1.Things that define her

 
Soft-spoken and a down-to-earth woman with a smile in her eyes and a welcome on her lips, she never finds be-friending anyone difficult. Be it an unknown co-traveller who doesn’t give a damn about the rest of the world, or her very grandchildren. She likes small-talks and can make it as big and as long as she wants, chatting away to glory. Clad in a saree, inornate and very simple by choice, she likes to be honest, duty-conscious, caring and authoritative at the same time. Though authoritative, as the head of a family, members like to look forward to her suggestions, instead of fearing her or hating unsolicited advices. She has not won degrees/medals or earned masters from posh prestigious universities, but literate enough to read newspapers and gossip about local and national/international country-politics, she is a fan of current affairs.


2.Journey from ‘OR’ to ‘AND’

 
It was a tough time. She was bereaved of her husband early in her age, with two sons and a married daughter(with a new-born baby). Shedding away all the conservative traditions and customs, she stood alone as a care-taker of the family. The sons were old enough to be bread-winners of the family. However, they chose to live off some saved earnings. They lived in a dilapidated house, which would give away during rains. Nightmares of the roof crumbling down like a pack of cards would disturb her. The house needed reconstruction. It was the only house they had to live and moreover, where was the money for renovation?


At the same time, there was an unsettled court case. The only land that was left by her mother as a gift to her was occupied by some crooked villagers who claimed the land as theirs. She needed some money for livelihood and decided to sell the land. She started receiving threats to her life with that decision. She ran down to the place for inspection and a villager threatened her with deadly weapons. She stood there alone, not afraid of her life, but, with a determined aim to find justice. Life had given her more difficulties than she had bargained for. A lost husband, un-earning sons, and a house that would anytime kill them by crashing down. She was the only woman of the house and she did prove it! She fought the legal-cases through several levels of courts from district to state and won over. The land was hers finally. 


Bread winner and a fighter


The next step she took was unbeleivable for a lady of that generation and making. She dared a huge amount of loan for the reconstruction of the house. The land of one house was split to construct two small ones so that she could rent it away and with the rent, she would repay the loan. The mortgage for the loan was the same house itself. She decided to live in a house that was leased for some amount of time, until the construction was over. Today, she has finished building the houses and has repaid all her loans and more; she is her own bread-winner. 


Yes, she might have collapsed down when alone, unable to muster strength for the difficulties that came by in a series, but, we never got to see that face. Yes, she might have cried alone through sleepless nights, but, we never got to see her tears. Yes, might have cursed her fate for bringing her life to a standstill in her youth, but, we never got to see that woman. 


She has always been a woman with a cheering smile on her face, in times of emptiness, in times of strife and in the living present! She has not won over medals, degrees and honours, but, she certainly has comprehended life beyond and above them all. Still waters run deep.


Personally, to me, she is the woman of the house who never failed womanhood and never failed to astonish manhood!


This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus.

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