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.