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Thursday 6 March 2014

A tribute to a great lady.



 “The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.”
Walt Disney Company, 

The  quotation given above is applicable to a great lady who was a living example of  compassion, love  and empathy. She suffered in her early days, but she never gave up hope and aspiration.  The lady, I am referring to was my Mother in law. She was a  religious and god fearing lady who weathered  all adversities in her life with courage, strength of  character and  sagacity.

She became a widow at the age of twenty nine,with six small children to look after and no source of income.  She married at a young  age of  sixteen. Her husband was  an employee of a famous bank in Bombay(now Mumbai) He died when he was thirty six. For  some time Amma lived in her Thaddavar house( family house) in Palode, near Palghat, Kerala, But later shifted to  Tattamangalam, her husband's  house. Her only ambition in life was to give good education  to her five sons and one daughter.

She was very good looking, tall,fair complexioned and had a very imposing and majestic personality.  She was God fearing and was very well versed in scriptures and religious lore. In my first visit to Kerala,when I saw her, there was something in her captivating smile which  attracted  me instantly. She  had a large agricultural property, which she administered solely and efficiently. She looked after her workers like her own children. She gave them medicines ,when they fell ill and financial help in times of their need. They looked up to her for all their requirements.She was a true matriarch for them.

She gave good education to all her children. All of them achieved  good positions. One son was Collector in Kerala. Another son was Principal in Guruvayur  College. One Son was in Government  service in Madras. Another son was Hindi teacher in Home Ministry and my husband was placed  as Under Secretary, in Govt of India. Her son in law  was  Deputy General Manager in Canara Bank of India. All this was possible due to her encouragement and sacrifice. It was due to her encouragement and determination that her children could achieve  all this in life.

She came to Delhi and lived with us for about seven months. She did not understand Hindi or English and  I  had no knowledge of Malayalam, but both of us got on very well. I learnt some  words of Malyalam.  Her last days she lived like a 
Queen.  Her life is a  source of inspiration not only for her children but for everyone who knew her. Hats off to her.


This prompt  is written in response to Write Tribe Festival of Words  day 5. The topic for today is  An inspiring life.

25 comments:

  1. A brave woman indeed. Thank you for sharing such an inspirational story with us. :)

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    1. Thank you Jyothi. She was really a brave lady.

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  2. It's a rare story:DIL inspired by MIL. The traits of your MIL are similar to my nani, though.

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    1. Thank you Jini. I really worshiped my MIL.

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  3. She had indeed endured a lots of trials & tribulations in her life. The endurance power of people in days of yore was tremendous. Very inspiring indeed! Thanks for sharing ma'am.

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    1. Yes Asha ,she was an extraordinary lady.

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  4. How privileged you were to know her and interact with her. I always believe that every day people have more inspiration for us than anyone else! Thank you Mrs.Usha! ♥

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    1. Thank you Vidya for your inspirational comments.

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  5. It feels good to read such stories of beautiful relationships. She was a brave lady..Thank you for sharing..:)

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  6. Usha ji thank you for sharing her story with us. So inspiring!

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  7. Hats off to her ! Her spirit for life is truly truly admirable. Lovely. I'm sure she would've been a tough matriarch, despite all the odds in life. And all her efforts bore fruit because of her devotion to what she did. Thanks for sharing this , Usha Mam :)

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    1. Thank you Sreeja. She was really a very noble lady.

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  8. The story of an earlier gneration so awes me... I wonder how my grandmother who was studied only till he rhigh school managed so may things seamlessly!

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    1. Thank you Mina. Grandmothers do have that extra sixth sense.

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  9. Her grit and determination despite life's struggles, made her a winner. You all must be so proud of her! Thanks for sharing your MIL's story, ma'am, truly inspirational :)

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    1. Thank you Shilpa. We are indeed very proud of her.

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  10. Bow to your MIL , Usha maam. She recognized the value of education and managed the huge agricultural property like a true matriarch. A lady much ahead of her times.

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    1. Thank you Payal. She was indeed much ahead of her times.

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  11. Excellent...its rare to have a MIL like that ma'm. Great inspirational story...thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you Kajal . Yes My MIL was indeed a great lady.

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  12. Your MIL's determination is a lesson for all of us Ushaji, sometimes I feel people of the older generation were much more stronger and braver than us and faced challenges of life head on while we worry more and crib about even trivial issues.

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    1. Yes Reshma, you are right. She faced all struggles and miseries in her life with a great strength of character.

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  13. Your MIL's strength and determination is truly an inspiration and a lesson :)
    Thank you for sharing her with us

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    1. Thank you Pixie. We learnt a lot from her.

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