Grandma #madeofgreat

Decades ago (1940's), she rode with her brother letting an unapproved father behind, around 12 miles far away from her home. She wanted to complete her education and enter the world of teaching. She used to brief out that her parents were not so willing but she never gave up.

This is a short abstract of someone who is undeniably #madeofgreat for me, 'My Grandma'.

Ever since I know her, she is a multitasking lady; stands like a wall for all obstructions. Her mode of speech brings warmness to anyone who listens to her. She is open like a book and yet so secretive. Sometimes, when I think of her influence in my life, It brings her residue into me. My mom takes up few situations a bit more serious than required, but she was calm, composed yet firm. This behavior, I always try to follow, few at times I succeed, but mostly I fail but still I never gave up

Work life balance - 

"Working as a school teacher till retirement, mom of 7 and a great cook" is what describes her. Her dishes are the best in the world and if you ever had a chance to taste it, you would definitely say it is the best South Indian food ever tasted. When we asked her, 'how do you do such simple rasam so tasty?', she used to say that 'measurement is the key'. Been working and handling household has taught her that being organised is time-saving. 

Being a mom has not killed her career. She is even now remembered as the best teacher of her times and all her stories and riddles are resided by each and every student of hers whenever they meet. When they visited her, they used to tell about her greatness and how she used to handle their tiny fights with patience. 

Grandma has always been a proud teacher which has reflected in her life even after her retirement. This has taught me that when we are satisfied with individual accomplishment, it brings us peace within; which reflects on our social life.

Catastrophic : 

At the age of 45, Grandma lost Grandpa. All the financial and social activity was handled by Grandpa. At 1970, It should have been devastating as she was not much aware about banking, shopping and all other social problems. Only because of her self confidence and 'never give up' nature, was she able to handle and take care. 

During Grandpa's death, my uncle had married against our religion and this had caused lots of humiliation around her neighborhood. Being a single parent, she handled the circumstances very well; with an open mind, welcomed her and greeted aunt as her own daughter. 

Can you get a woman who can be so human when the whole world; still says 'religion is greater than humanity'??

Physical Appearance :

She is not the prettiest of the lot & she is partially handicapped, with one leg bitten by a snake during her childhood. Even when I was rejected at marriage proposals due to height, she assured & said; 'Don't give up. People who evaluate you by your physical appearance are not worth marrying'

On 31st May 2015, She had her last breath. She was not well from past 4 years and was bed rest for a year. Even while in such condition, she used to smile at the guest who visited her & welcomed everyone. 

I miss her guidance. I miss her patience. I miss her. Wholly I miss a great lady & even more a great soul who is a representation of being an empowerment for the new generation.

This is an inspirational story made it available for the tag #madeforgreat. It's a campaign by Tatamotors. You can get more details on the campaign here - http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/

Along with the campaign, there is also a contest for readers. 

Answer this simple question to win Amazon vouchers

'What do you think of Tata Motors' association with Lionel Messi?' 

Until next time, Cya 

Prathi

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