Heroism, cannot be taught!

I grew up seeing a woman waking up with me, gulping away the same milk as I did and ran for my school, as she for her job. Early childhood remembers her magically appearing to pick us kids from the bus stop and vanish again, once she ensured we were asleep after lunch. Later, though, I would only see her again in the evening, but all this while we would receive a million calls updating her with the daily milestones before she saw us again, bringing all the fancy snack from the world. She would take us to her workplace during holidays, and that would be our idea of a picnic. She was the strictest mother possible, I have had a hundred fights with her, and frankly speaking, I did complain about her not being like a normal mother I saw around. On this women’s day, while I find myself growing into a woman myself, I realise how she has been instilling the most basic and fundamental ideals of a woman in me, in the most natural manner. I use the word “instil” and not “teach”, because courage, independence, self-belief, dignity and selflessness can never and hence, should never be attempted to teach. Heroism, cannot be taught! The bigger things in life are learnt by seeing and am glad I had a real example right in-front of me.  I would not even start to mention the things she has done for our family, and meanwhile building herself an amazing professional life, we all take pride in. It would be wrong to confine her achievements with just that. The freedom of choice that my sister and I enjoy exercising in each decision of our lives, is the true reflection of what we have taken from her. On multiple discussions over feminism, I have often found myself quiet, because never once I felt the need of an external thing to protect me, never once I’ve felt weak. This is how she’s grown me up, and this has been her true achievement. Happy Woman’s Day mum, thank you for what I can be proudly see myself growing into.