Women in My Life

These two women one older and the other younger to me, have a great influence on my life. Both these women are from different age groups and have a wide generation gap. However, the common thing between them is their selflessness, which makes me wonder that there are people who give up their dreams in this selfish world.

I knew her right from the time I could remember. I always used to disagree with her even on the smallest of the small things, but, somewhere deep in my heart, I admired her a lot. She has an incredible influence in my life. Today, I am quite far away from her but miss her a lot in certain situations - she was a great support system when I had to face similar situations in the past.

Throughout her life, she shouldered responsibilities. She was the third child in a family with eight children. She played the role of a mother to her younger siblings and niece, when she was in her early teens because her mother was not in good health. Even after her marriage, she inadvertently took up all the responsibilities that were expected to be taken up by the eldest daughter-in-law though she was the youngest. Again not even a bit of selfishness ever crossed her mind. She donned the role of a mid-wife to her co-sisters during their pregnancy. She single handedly cooked for 100 people, when the cook failed to turn up for a family function. She did not visit her mother’s place for a span of 10 years for she has to nurse her ailing mother-in-law. She did all this when she herself was going through the worst phase of her life in terms of health. She was most often than not envied by every other person for her capabilities and her willingness to do selfless service.

She taught me how to shoulder responsibilities gracefully. She is just a phone call away for me when I go through any crisis. She is the source of inspiration to me when I handle the most difficult situations at work. She is the strength when I am upset about having to move away from my parents after marriage. She is the living almanac when I have to start any new venture. She is the http://www.bawarchi.com/ for me, when I have to cook varieties at home. She is Bharathi, my mother. I admire her not only as a daughter but also as a woman.

I have known this girl right from the time I was three years old. She was the scapegoat of all the pranks I used to plan with my siblings. I started developing a strong bond of liking for her, as I started experiencing her affection. I was selfish enough not to have realized it earlier. She did selfless service to everyone in the family. When someone in the family was ill, she kept her books aside without a second thought even while preparing for her toughest exam. She nursed them back to health by taking care of them right from the diet to the medication.

When I was struggling with the busiest period of my life, trying to balance my studies as well as career, she stood by me. She ensured that I had good food at all the times. She always checked on my health and made sure that I have a healthy diet. She did my quota of household work when I had to rush to work, without complaining even for once. She did this without any expectations. She is the right hand to her mother and shares her mother’s work even if she herself is ill. Today, though she has a successful career in finance, she is still the Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa in the family. She continues to be the Annapoorna in the household, packing lunch boxes for everyone every single day. She was a like a mother to me - caring, feeding, nursing, and again being at the receiving end of my anger. She is Poornima, my younger sister. I owe her a lot and I can’t help wishing I was like her.

As mother and daughter, Bharathi and Poornima, reflect each other. They both have striking similarities when it comes to selflessness. This is in no way an exaggeration in any form. The selflessness in these women - Is it because they are women? Is it because they are human beings? Is it because God made them like that? I don’t know. All I know is that I admire and always strive to inculcate this quality in me.