True love

During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.
This is how an eight-year-old defined love on a website I happened to surf. For some it may mean nothing, and for some it may be the defining thing. Reading this brought a smile to my face. Reason: Obviously the fact that I had one such experience this morning. On the face of it, I have really been trying to put up a brave front. I have been evading the topic (the rejection baba) carefully. But somewhere this morning, I gave in. I just went close to my dad, hugged him and said I got rejected. That was that. I couldn’t speak a word beyond this. And my dad’s reaction was almost spontaneous. He said, “Huh, they can’t decide whether you are good or no. Besides, there is a right time and things will only happen. So, don’t hurry into things.”
These few lines uttered by him. Not really thought over. Something which came straight from the heart and reached the heart. It gave me the confidence. Made me happy that he believes in me. And also brought over a surreal calm. Something that I was craving for very long. His words made a lot of difference in the truest sense of the word. May be that is what the girl described as true love.

Manjiri

Happy Women's Day

Today is Women's Day. A day of celebrating womanhood. Celebrating the fact that God chose to bring you on the earth with the anatomy of a female. Well, that is what gender is, isn't it? Normally, on such days, I get into a pensive mood. I like to ponder, read and understand what people have to say about the Day and its significance.

While I do all this while I am in the train, I see a lady who's sitting opposite me. She is a middle-aged housewife (I guess). She has two daughters who are quite young, may be close 9 and 5 with her. As the train leaves the station, she removes a book from her polythene bag. And the next minute, I see her transformed into a strict teacher. While she takes her daughter's revision, the younger one keeps on distracting her with her innocent demands. Sometimes, she wants her book of nursery rhymes, whereas at times she asks for water. The mother with the perfect expertise of a seasoned juggler keeps on fulfilling all her demands. All this, without getting distracted or losing the concentration from the answers the elder one is giving to the questions. I compare this scenario to things around me. May be myself. I work and at work I do give my 100 %. But what at home? I cook randomly (depending on my mood) on my off day. The other days I get everything on a platter, almost literally. My mother wakes me up, whereas my dad serves me the tea (yes, we believe in equality). My food is served on the plate to me, whereas my eatables for night are kept in my bag by my mom. With all this as the background, can I really call myself a professional who does things on her own? Certainly not. It is people like my mom and the lady I met in the train who actually are true achievers. It is the support which they give to their daughters which is responsible for making them true achievers.

So, on this Women's Day, I bow sdoown and congratulate all those women, who support their family members and play a vital role in their success.

The reason why this post is written in two instalments is that mid-way through the writing on March 8, something really important came up and I couldn't wriggle myself out of it.

Manjiri