Look up blissfully

Mrs. Anita Rao has been working in our software company for past 15 years. Currently, she is heading the Retail department as 'Account Manager' in Bangalore location.

As aware, the retail sector is now catching up, utilizing IT division, to make their world much more comfortable & reachable. This results in more projects to fly in & hence more work for us.

As and when new projects or new development activity arise, Anita has to travel from one location to another. Travelling increases based on the assignments & sometimes she has to fly from India to London and then to US quenching her personal life.

Anita's husband, Mr. Alok Rao also has a similar work schedule. This results in them having a very hard time catching up on their son's life, Aniket. 

This was during a program, we came to know about Anita & her family;  how she has managed to stay optimistic despite her tough work culture.

"So how do you manage & stay energetic. Aren't you working for your family?" is what we asked

"My Son's smile makes it all happen. I, along with my husband has teamed up to manage this by impressing him despite being far away due to the work."

"Work culture now has become pathetic. There had been times when I was a kid, where I spent most of my time with my mother in the kitchen, chit chatting about nonproductive information, but now when I am a parent myself, I don't even have time to scroll into my own kitchen. Even if I am at heart of Bangalore, reaching home on time is a challenge in itself. Few a time, when I reached home my son would be sleeping and wakes up only to see me gone. My heart sinks when I think about it. "

"There has been times when I taught that I would quit my job and be at home to take care of the house. But due to  financial situations I was made to think twice." Also, she adds up saying "I enjoy my work, meeting up new people and my promptness & dedication has made me popular enough, such that even  if I want to quit it would be difficult."

"One of the tactics to Stay positive is to indulge yourself to be actively participating in our interest rather than worrying about difficulties." is her motto

So to enjoy the joyfulness of both the world, both of them has made arrangement for their son so that he doesn't complain. Due to their busy schedule, they have asked Anita's mother & father to stay with them to look after Aniket during their absence. Whenever she is in Bangalore on Sunday's, it is always 'family time'. No work can peep in. At home, her parents and son make her comfortable,  understands her and makes her feel that she has not missed any days.

To the times when they are not in town, both parents have promised their son; whatever is the situation & whichever location they are, both of them will be there beside their son if there is any event. Be it Diwali or son's birthday, no matter where they are, they will be in Bangalore for that event.

We asked "didn't you had any tough time to fulfill this?"

She says "Of course, I had and I can narrate you an incident."

She was in London and after two days It was their son's 7th birthday. Her husband too was out of station, but was bound to arrive on birthday with no issues. But for her it was a challenge. Her flight was at 9 clock and her meeting, which started at 5 clock in the evening was in no mood to end. She was panicking that she might miss her flight and break the promise. She says more than the promise, my son's smiling face, which gets lifted when he sees both his parents, is priceless & sure enough is a moment not to lose. So she called up her colleague and informed about the problem. Being in a managerial position, people have good contacts with the transportation department. Immediately, 9 clock flight was cancelled and 11 clock flight was arranged such that Anita could reach on her son's birthday on time.

She says as she ends her note that there has several such times where she has to jumble up, but at the end, it's her son's happy face is what makes her eager to reach.

Anita is one of the top executive in my company. Aniket, Mr & Mrs Rao only son is of age 13 now. Despite having such a hassle life, they have managed to build their own house in  Indranagar, Bangalore & a good education to their son which she is proud of.

She told this story which really inspired me and have remained as one of my favorites. As Anita's  inspiration is her son, everyone should search for that positive vibe which will help us to drive ahead of the rough edges of life. 

To end,  I really liked her story as, despite her hassle, she stands optimistic for those Sundays where she feels loved and cared.

This  blog post is written as a part of  a campaign held from Housing.com (https://housing.com/lookup) on topic " Tel us a story around a moment that filled you with optimism and hope for the future" 

-Prathi