“Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without words, And never stops at all”. I recall these words of Emily Dickinson whenever I think about my grandmother.
My grandmother is my role model. I learnt the spirit of life from her. This article is my tribute to her “Never Say Die” attitude.
Inspiring words
A small incident happened during my schooldays which left a lasting impression on my mind. I met with an accident when I was in class XI. I had won the state dance competition and was preparing to go for a national level competition. But I could not go due to the injury. I had practised a lot and was counting on this to give me a good exposure. I was very unhappy and disheartened. I would not talk or eat. That's when my grandmother told me, “Life is not fair to everyone. But unpredictability is the very beauty of life. The lessons we learn during this period are valuable. Nothing that happens is the end of life. Taking life as it comes is the spirit that makes us go a long way”. I asked her rather non-chalantly, “What have you faced”. Then she told me her story.
Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, my grandmother had enjoyed all the luxuries until 1960 when government ended feudalism. Having lost all the land to the government and not having a job, she struggled to make both ends meet. My grandfather was much older than her and unhealthy. But being a woman with a sharp mind, she realised that one has to move with the times and living in the past would not help. While most people in the similar state continued to live in the memories of the past glory ,cribbing about the present and confused about the future , my grandmother managed to send my dad and his brother to school. She realised that education was the need of that hour. But they had to struggle for two square meals a day. Having lived a luxurious life, it was very difficult for her to see her kids go hungry to bed. But she was determined and strong. .
Having never stepped out of her ancestral house, she had such worldly knowledge that very few could match with. The adversities made her a stronger person. Her words changed my view of life. It brought about a positive attitude in me. I think of my grandmother whenever there is a problem and wonder how she would look at it.She has encouraged me in every step of my life. Three years back she was detected with throat cancer. Though everyone in the family was upset, she faced it bravely. She went for all the treatments with a smile. And last year she breathed her last.She might not be with me now, but I still can see her caring eyes, her encouraging smile and can still feel her warm hug. Her brilliance made my life easy, her smiles were a harbinger of joy and she was blessed with the power to create life! My grandmother…
Rema R Varma, I Year, MBA
