females have been the real Santa Claus of my life. this one is to the two most important ones of my life.
i am going to talk about my grandmothers, the women who taught me how to dream, stand up for those dreams, and dare to live it all irrespective of what life has in store for me.
beginning with daadi- long story short, she didn’t mind herself being called an illiterate and neither did she mind learning to read and write at the age of 50+. she’d read our books and practice writing when we sat down around her for our night-time study routine. she instilled in me the courage to dream no matter what the circumstances. i can proudly say that she died a literate, a self taught literate woman.
my superhero, naani indeed has had a life worth a ‘film’. as a single mother with no job or formal education, she raised three kids with utmost dignity despite negligible familial support. from being a daughter to a single mother to rocking it as the only parent of her teenage kids, i have never seen this woman complaining about anything. naani has been the literal definition of wonder-woman to me. she taught me to stand eye to eye with every challenge, and smile back at them. i do hope to be able to document her story for everyone to admire her, someday.
so here’s to thanking my real-life Santa’s for gifting me the ability to dream, and the determination to fulfill it all. ❤
Akanksha Sharma 'Chetna' 