The woman in this picture is my maternal grandmother Champa Devi (meaning Goddess of the aromatic Plumeria flower) . She got married at the age of 16 to a man who was:
- more than double her age.
- a father to 3 young boys- some of whom were close to her own age
- her late sister’s husband
She got pregnant (with my mother) before being physically or mentally ready to bear a child. A couple of months later, her husband died. Soon after the step sons left her and she was left to bring up her only daughter without any physical, mental or financial support from anyone. In spite of that, my mother was a post graduate by 1973 which was a pretty big deal for a time (and situation) like that.
Back then, there were no talks of women empowerment, gender equality, women’s day celebrations and other initiatives we hugely value today. Nevertheless Bhabhiji, as we fondly called her, was fully alive and kicking until I was in middle school and I never saw her crib even once about how unfair life has been to her. She pretty much lived her entire life alone, on her own terms and enjoyed it to the fullest!
Other than the aloo ka paranathas she used to make for me, the one thing I remember the most about her is how she taught me to hugely value difficulties in life since such times help to ensure that we don’t take the good things in life for granted!
To all those colleagues, friends and well-wishers who praise me for my boldness and go-getter attitude, I owe it all this woman – right here!
Happy Women’s Day.