Three years back, on this day, she lay still on an elevated pedestal - her funeral pyre. In the next minutes, she was going to be consumed by the fire .. Her face was brimming with serenity .. a haven of peace .. most of the family and extended family were there to say goodbye .. an irony …
Many of the images of her from the past fought to come in front for a brief moment in the spotlight .. how do you push 80 odd years of life hidden behind the curtains into the forefront .. onto the pages of a book .. how?
She was known for her utmost dedication to the family .. near and far .. she was literally the synonym for the word .. Thrust with the responsibilities of a patriarchal family at a tender age of 14, she navigated the road in her own way .. with absolute dedication and an intense responsibility .. something you will seldom find in many .. and she continued this for the next 70 odd years till the end ..
She never was in the spotlight .. others taking credit for everything she did .. she remained largely ignored even by her own family .. mostly taken for granted .. yet she never once complained and always remained content with doing the job .. she would be a perfect misfit in today’s world of tiktoks and instagrams ..
What were her likes? What did she enjoy eating? What did she like doing? Nothing was clear or known .. very simple things kept her happy .. the joy of cooking and feeding probably gave her the ultimate satisfaction ..
Her own eating habits was limited to simple meals and a cup of tea .. she never called sick .. missing even that one chance to be pampered .. life seemed to treat her unfairly yet there was no remorse ..
In a culture where people visited family on every occasion, nobody visited her just for her .. they met her by chance .. that was probably one minor irritation for her but she took it in her stride ..
Beneath her tiny and a timid personality, hidden was her strength .. a strength to not hold grudges .. a strength to treat everyone well and with respect .. a strength to never complain about life .. a strength to live well and healthy in body and mind .. a strength to accept the changing world even though she came from a strong traditional conservative foundation ..
For someone so used to obscurity, did she leave any mark on the world? Ironical .. she is remembered and missed more now than before ..
She never complained
Always soothing my pain with her calming anodyne
Standing as the epitome of patience
She was the mom that I was blessed pristine
- an excerpt from the poem "Pillars of My Life", Aug 2019*