Okay,I want you to imagine something.An Indian village girl,barely 15,in a saree,siting beside a stove,cooking.The odd thing is,she has a chemistry book propped on her lap.Oh also,imagine it in black & white or else you would not know I am describing a scene from 1950s.
Seems unreal,doesnt it?
That girl is my grandmother.
Our culture teaches us to hold our elders in revere.I never talked about my grandma's early life with her.Never had the guts to ask her.I am writing from what my mum told me & how I have seen my grandma.
My grandmother got married when she was 14,like any other Indian girl during 1950.She could have been like any other woman,taking care of kids,doing household chores etc.But she chose to be different.She chose to continue her studies even after marriage.My grandfather,was a doctor & they had probably 15 years of age difference.In spite of the age difference,the culture,he encouraged my grandmother to continue her studies.But I do not know what her in-laws had to say about this.It might seem irrelevant to you now,but think from a 15 years old girl's prospective who was living with her in-laws.How much pressure she must have been in,how strong she had to be.But she continued pursuing her dreams,despite everything.She had her first child when she was 30,after 15 years of marriage.I am guessing she had some difficulties having a child beforehand.Again,can you guess how much taunting she had to go through?But it did not held her back,it just made her stronger & stronger.Because,she believed.
She believed in herself.
Sometimes,when I feel lost,I feel I am dreaming too much,that it is not achievable,I think about my grandma.We have it so easy compared to her.We don't have to finish chores & cooking before we can study.We don't have in-laws discouraging us.Then what stops us from pursuing our dreams?I realized,its us.We don't believe in ourselves enough,we don't push ourselves enough.We try to come up with new excuses for not working hard.But,we forget everyone has to fight their way up.There is no smooth road to success.We all have things that stand on the way.We just have to find a way around.Because a bump in the road in no excuse for not reaching your destination.We just have to believe in ourselves.
My grandmother retired a few years ago from the famous Victoria College,Comilla after years of teaching.
-Mourin
Seems unreal,doesnt it?
That girl is my grandmother.
Our culture teaches us to hold our elders in revere.I never talked about my grandma's early life with her.Never had the guts to ask her.I am writing from what my mum told me & how I have seen my grandma.
My grandmother got married when she was 14,like any other Indian girl during 1950.She could have been like any other woman,taking care of kids,doing household chores etc.But she chose to be different.She chose to continue her studies even after marriage.My grandfather,was a doctor & they had probably 15 years of age difference.In spite of the age difference,the culture,he encouraged my grandmother to continue her studies.But I do not know what her in-laws had to say about this.It might seem irrelevant to you now,but think from a 15 years old girl's prospective who was living with her in-laws.How much pressure she must have been in,how strong she had to be.But she continued pursuing her dreams,despite everything.She had her first child when she was 30,after 15 years of marriage.I am guessing she had some difficulties having a child beforehand.Again,can you guess how much taunting she had to go through?But it did not held her back,it just made her stronger & stronger.Because,she believed.
She believed in herself.
Sometimes,when I feel lost,I feel I am dreaming too much,that it is not achievable,I think about my grandma.We have it so easy compared to her.We don't have to finish chores & cooking before we can study.We don't have in-laws discouraging us.Then what stops us from pursuing our dreams?I realized,its us.We don't believe in ourselves enough,we don't push ourselves enough.We try to come up with new excuses for not working hard.But,we forget everyone has to fight their way up.There is no smooth road to success.We all have things that stand on the way.We just have to find a way around.Because a bump in the road in no excuse for not reaching your destination.We just have to believe in ourselves.My grandmother retired a few years ago from the famous Victoria College,Comilla after years of teaching.
-Mourin
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