My father passed away when I was 9. Then on, Maa always told me how important education is,
‘Kuch aur saath ho na ho, yeh hamesha saath dega.’ She was very
progressive; she graduated in the 1940s.
After graduation, I pursued my Masters. It was atypical for a
woman to study so much but I was sure. In my final year, I got
married–I insisted on staying with Maa to complete my degree.
My
husband was a manager at a firm; we were a middle class family. I wanted
to help & thought, ‘Why shouldn’t I work?’ I began job hunting
& was hired as a teacher.
But a married woman going to work was
unusual–neighbours would stare & relatives would taunt. Even my
mom-in-law snubbed me. But my husband said, ‘I support you.’
I loved
my job & worked even when I was pregnant with my kids; 2 daughters
& a son. My work timings clashed with their school timings. So, my
husband would cook breakfast & drop them to school.
For us,
every penny mattered–so after school, I’d walk to save the 50p rickshaw
fee. I saved for my kids' education–‘That’s the only asset that’s gotten
me so far,’ I’d say. When my son was preparing for his engineering
exam, I begged our landlady for an extra room so he could study better.
When
my daughter, Aarti was getting married, she was also in her final year
& was to move to New York after. I told her, ‘Ghumna phirna, lekin
waha jaa ke padhai poori karna!’ So, after her maternity break, Aarti
completed her Masters. And she passed on the same wisdom to her
daughter, Radhika. Today, Aarti is a school principal & Radhika, the
CEO of a company!
After working for 36 years, I retired in 2000. I
enjoy doing the little things like cooking & reading stories to my
grandkids. At 80, I’m still involved with my school to improve the
quality of education.
As women, the best heirloom we can give our
daughters is to let them know they can be, do & achieve anything.
Our girls today are the women of tomorrow–it’s our responsibility to
raise them to know that they are enough.”
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On the 75th Anniversary of the @unitednations , HOB with @unwomen is championing the voices of women & girls of India to ensure that they are heard, seen & treated as equals. #GenerationEquality
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