Where there is will, there is Way !!

 Posted on July 30, 2020 by Ruchi

Instagram has lately been flooded with black and white selfies of females, celebrity and masses alike. The photos are captioned #ChallengeAccepted #WomenSupportingWomen

The trend started somewhere in Turkey as a response to high rates of femicide in the country.

When I started writing on blog, feminism had been the topmost agendas. Over years depending on my mood, the posts have wavered touching all aspects of life. I wrote many a times for women’s web and Momspresso, but later didn’t continue due to the basic fact that I don’t write to compete, and the blogging world out there is totally different.

A few weeks back I decided to write every Thursday and I feel I have been going strong for 6 weeks in a row now. The next few blog posts will be my aideu to the woman empowerment. I will write about women not so famous, the women around us, those who stayed strong, some those who couldn’t, but each week I will bring you one face, one personality. Small ancedotes from their lives. Sometimes, to preserve the identity I will hide the names and keep the person anonymous.

To start the series, who better than my own Mother. The person who brought me to this world !!

My mom got married at a very young age. She was just in second year of her Master’s. She is a very intelligent person and had topped the University in Bachelor’s. However, at that time the popular notion was to have girls get married early.

She was the last of the seven siblings. So obviously, the last responsibility. She told me once that she wanted to be a doctor, but then she was told to take Arts. “Are you mad? Just study so that you get a good groom!” And her dream of being a doctor was dismissed. Years later, it was her ( and my dad’s too – that is a different story) dream which led me to pursue medicine.

Well, so as to say marriage, adjustment to new family, new surroundings and then subsequent pregnancy. She didn’t fare too well in her Master’s and was unable to recreate the aura she had created during the previous year.

Without complaint, she settled in her new shoes. My brother was a full hands on, and all her time went caring for him. A few years later I came in and she was too busy with both of us.

Once we were settled in school, she started itching for more knowledge. When I was 8 years old, she managed to do her Bachelors in Education. My dad supported her fully. And hence she became a teacher.

Unlike our generation, who keep on complaining, I have never seen her tired or say No. Wherever we go, she will be the 1st one to offer her help and get mingled in whatever work is at hand. Her presence in family functions and marriages is always much awaited and she can handle everything without any support.

Even today whenever she visits me, she will not let me enter kitchen or do any work for the time she is there with me. She is the shoulder to cry for her so many friends. In-fact the moment she lands here, people start calling as to when she will return. I always joke that she is the Sarpanch ( head-woman ) of her community.

So here’s to the strong woman she is !!

Do leave your thoughts if you felt inspired by my mom.

See you next Thursday with another story on #Woman-Empowerment.

Photo by Chelsi Peter on Pexels.com