The woman of Iron and steel

There are so many people that one comes across in life. There are even a greater number of people that one gets inspired from.It may or may not be surprising but I have come across a huge number of people in my 30 years of existence. Part of it because of my profession and upbringing, part of it because I am a very social person. I have lived at 6 different cities (I am not calculating the different towns of those cities) and I have had different schools, medical colleges and hospitals. In all this process I have met thousands of people. Some of them have been filthy rich, some extreme survivors, some legends (whether in the medical profession or in general) and some of them extremely happy no matter what their circumstances are.

I have been inspired by all the people I have met. But one person continues to top the list in-spite of everything. She is my mother.

I know it may sound cliched that my mother is the most inspiring person of my life. Every person finds his/her mother inspiring. But I am not exaggerating. My mother is a woman of iron and steel. I have hardly met someone who is as strong as my mother.

My mother is the eldest of nine sisters. So she was supposed to be the role model for all of them. She belonged to a tiny village called Chunar. Her primary education was from there. After tenth class, she moved to a much bigger city Varanasi to pursue further studies. She took up science and was the only girl student of the entire batch. Her neighbours and relatives discouraged her parents to allow her study. They said that boys would be a wrong influence on her. But she never bat an eyelid to the folklore and passed the exams with flying colours.

After school she took admission in Banaras Hindu University in chemistry honours. BHU being one of the most elite institutes of that time was an honour in itself. She passed her honours with excellent marks and took admission in Masters is analytical chemistry. In the meantime she met a handsome man in the university (my father) who hailed from a different town and community.

Studies and love went on simultaneously and though she tried hard not to fall for him (as it was a taboo) , she could not help it.

After passing her masters she landed her first job as a chemistry teacher. They decided to take their life forward together. As fate would have, she did not have her parents' blessings. Like an iron lady, my parents started their life without any support.

In the meantime she completed her M Ed too. My dad completed his PHD. Then my sister was born. She did not take a single leave apart from what was allotted. Bringing up a baby with a full time job and without any parental support is an ordeal in itself. Still she did not accept defeat. Then I was born. Life became more difficult. She was made the principal of a Government girls school and she continued juggling motherhood and career.

It was not that she slacked on motherhood. There was not a single day when she did not cook or help us with our homework or do the chores. One bad day, she was transferred to another city, Gorakhpur. Now what. Our lives were here. This time my father sacrificed and took a break to bring us up. She continuously juggled between Varanasi and Gorakhpur and after a year of struggle, she was transferred back.

Its her hard work and sacrifice that made me and my sister excellent students and later doctors. Getting into a top medical college is no child's play.

She continued her progress and became the Director of the education society in Allahabad. For layman, she approved the books that NCERT published for the CBSE students. I mean every student has read the books approved by her (including my wife). She finally retired from this great position in the year 2012. She had fulfilled all her duties with severe knee osteoarthritis. Being an orthopedic surgeon I know how crippling osteoarthritis is. Her limited physical mobility neither stopped her from going to the office nor doing the household chores. Today even after 3 years of superattenuation, she continues to fulfill her duties and never seek help.

With my small world...my parents on the left and wife on the right. My mother is a woman of iron and steel. She is undeniably #madeofgreat

After all these years of hard work she finally got what she deserved. A great official position, well settled kids and a loving husband. We all had our share of contributions but her story continues to faze and inspire me. She is the greatest person I have ever come across in my life.She is truly #madeofgreat. Just like our India's very own Tata Motors.

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