As a woman I have of course taken a long journey from being a daughter to a wife now. And in this journey there have been many people who prepared me for this journey. My mother of course who set up an example par excellence. She was someone I always thought ready to take on anyone’s world but so busy in handling ours that she never got time. A highly educated person who gave up everything to be with us, to take care of a house which always needed cleaning, always demanded her attention.
What did I learn from her? I learnt to live my life for myself. If not all the time then definitely a few moments snatched away. She is not with me today. And perhaps she is watching me from up there, but I would want her to know that I get it now. I know what it was like to have responsibility to realise that if you slept for a few hours world might not break away. I get it I now understand why you always smiled when I asked you to take a break. But then its because I know what happened to you in the end, how it all fell on your shoulders finally taking you away from us that I will find time for little things. I will live for myself only so that I can live a bit longer for those who love me.
My dear dear old man. He is what movies should be made up of. A dad who always wanted his daughters to live their life irrespective of their gender limitations. He fought with many over it. All those things they now talk about on television and newspapers and where not he has been speaking them all his life. A man who stood up to his own family to never again say why he has two daughters? Who argued with one and all about the importance of giving women their rights, the freedom to choose their man and best of all to live their life as they wish to. To wear things they want to, to travel the world and space and wherever they wish to.
If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be sitting here and writing this article. I would not be aspiring to be a writer or a anything in life if it was not the confidence he imparted to me. Anytime I have a chat with him he is buzzing with ideas for me. He is always up for me taking up a new challenge.
Then there is of course times that I imagine myself propped up in a room imagining what my life would be without these two. I get scared. They are what made me today. I want to bring them to almost anyone I know. And so today I would like to say if there is a concept of “do right” in my life it is because of them. Whether it is right or wrong I do not know. But yes for me their ideals and principles account for whatever life I wish to lead today tomorrow and perhaps forever.
In the words of my dear dear friend (I love him enough to call him that!) Randy Pausch I did strike upon “parent lottery”.
I am sharing what ‘I Saw and I Learnt‘ at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.
I love the way the story is flowing and how you illustrated how relationships can meet such judgmental opposition. This ongoing saga is brilliant as it puts under a magnifying glass this relationship and its nuances.
Kathy
https://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
Beautiful Richa…what your dad did…_/_…and moms are like this u just cant say enuf…like ever…i loved the flow…:)…too goo…and best of luck..:)
thanks vaisakhi 🙂
Sounds like you learned a great deal from both of them. It is amazing how these two special people shaped your life with their influence.
Sorry about the previous comment being on the wrong post. I am not sure how I managed that one.
Kathy
https://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
Thanks alot Kathy 🙂 and yes I did learn a lot 🙂
We are from inside what we have learnt from our first tutors .. they whom we belong to .. and these teachers slowly change their roles as and we are growing from tutors to dictators to stop us from repeating mistakes .. to friend when we speak up what we have been hiding for a while .. guide to us when they know we are capable of taking decisions on our own .. and above all they rarely complain when we are unjust to them,at times..No matter even when their physical presence is no more .. u can feel them throughout..
Its a lottery indeed.. for not everyone is lucky to get God in their parents.
I apologize for not being able to keep up with your wonderful writing all this while due to lack of time and I know I have missed a lot of wonderful thoughts like above..wish Hunger was not the boss for feeble human beings like me 🙂 Bread is getting costlier and I dont even have a BPL card … and I am yet to find .. Raj Babbar’s house .. to ask him where he eats his meals for Rs 12 🙂
“My dear dear old man. He is what movies should be made up of.” – Beautiful post. Makes you feel all warm and secure inside. 🙂
Ah! my Hiatus kept me away from your blog.. but I am back :D.. and I am treated to such a wonderful post.. hugs sweety 😀