My Role Model

The woman who inspired me or my role model is my mother. I call her “AMMA”. 

She was a girl brought up in a society where freedom or empowerment did not exist. She comes from a joint family and has 6 siblings. A girl is considered to be a homemaker even from childhood. But, fighting all those odds, she was the only one in the family who completed graduation. She also tried to get a job after her studies, obviously against her family’s wishes. So they got her married off! After marriage, she went with her husband, a Civil Engineer to the UAE and had 2 kids. 

When I was 14 years old, my father died due to cardiac arrest. He had Cancer too. 

She became a widow – “A widow who should not smile, wear a white saree and shun ornaments” according to society’s “rules”. But she did not follow society’s wish. She fought. When my sister became 18yrs her family pushed her to get her daughter married. But she stood against it as well. She let her daughter do whatever she wanted. 

The same happened when I was 18. She asked me what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to do engineering. She never said no. Everyone tried to discourage her by saying the course was expensive. But she stayed silent and supported me. 

Being a woman who was brought up in a patriarchal society, whatever she has done is inspiring for me. A woman with no income has stood up for herself and her kids all these years. When I think of standing on my own feet, I find it difficult. 

Will I be as strong as her?

Yes! Because she is STRONG! And she is my Role model!