Three generations

“You never see a man walking down the street with a woman who has a little potbelly and a bald spot.” - Elayne Boosler.

I came across this quote and believe me; I couldn’t resist myself from adding it to my post. Although it’s indeed a funny comment, but it depicts the thoughts that I wanted to convey through this post very accurately.

I could not have agreed more to the comment as I cannot even imagine being the man described in it. I’m sure most male readers of this post would agree with me as well. However, it also signifies one of the many sacrifices a girl or a woman has to make in her own life. Of course, I am not ruling out the fact that men do sacrifice too, but let us concentrate on the topic of discussion here – WOMEN.

There are three most important women in my life – My Mom, my Grandma and ‘The Unknown’. They are three generations of women who have had and would have an effect on my life in the most significant way. And this post is purely dedicated to each one of them. I am sorry if it looks like a school essay, but my fingers can’t stop typing.... 

My Grandma: She’s old, cute and a lovely lady. Since I’ve known her, she’s the kindest person I’ve ever seen in my life. She cares for everyone – for her sons and daughters, grandsons and grand-daughters, the neighbours, the maids in our house, the dhobi... and the list goes on. She has spent 80-odd years of her life doing so much for her family, that is hardly believable and any girl in today’s world could even imagine of doing it. She had 7 kids to look after. Taking care of all of them, looking after their studies etc could be such a daunting task, which as a mother, she has completed her duties so smoothly, none can complain. I still remember, when we used to pluck mangoes from our garden, she would take some of it and distribute them among every single person she knew, who was within her reach. Even now, although I am old enough to earn my own money, whenever I go home for my vacations, I get packets of biscuits from her which she had kept it for herself. And if it wouldn't have been for her, my Dad wouldn’t have been a person as good as he is now.

My Mom: She has been the most crucial part of my life. Right from my birth till now, she obviously had to make a lot of sacrifices to make me a better man that I am now and helped develop a conscience in me. In fact, both my parents had always been preaching me not to become a ‘successful man’, but rather a ‘good person’ in my life. My mom, although wanted to work as a lecturer, didn’t get a chance to, as she had to take care of me and my kid brother. If I start mentioning each and every sacrifice she has made in her life, I’m afraid; the people running this blogger website would start charging me money. 

I have been told that I am good at Maths and of course, I love the subject. But mom played an important role in laying the foundations for it. I remember when I was a kid, I was so poor in Maths, I could hardly make out the smaller/larger of the two single-digit numbers given to me. And the solution given to me was to start counting from the number ‘1’ until I reach any of the two numbers. The first one I encounter in the count is the smallest. Of course, the theory was provided to me by mom (or as I call her ‘mommy’). The numerous thrashings I have received from her to learn the multiplication tables, different words and what not has resulted in everything I am good at. As I write all this, I’ll quote another line as well:

“Men are what their mothers made them.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson  

So if any of you have liked anything in me ever and found it to be appreciative, the due credit goes to her. I can find no more words for the unlimited love and care she has given me.

‘The Unknown’: As you would have guessed, she definitely being my other half in the future, would again be affecting my life in a significant way as my grandma and my mom. She could very well be a person who brings out the best of me and her presence in my life would be deciding the course of the ship I’m sailing in. As this is an unexplored territory, I would prefer to stop here and not make further predictions about my future, as I am no great a soothsayer.

But I’m sure, people who are reading this would be thinking of the women important in their respective lives and how they have had an impact on them. And you would certainly agree, that this is only for the good that women should be treated with the respect that they deserve. After all, they have several roles to play in a man’s life and could decide the course of their lives, be it as a mother, grand-mother, daughter, sister or a wife.