“She came from a small town in Karnataka, known as the “Rice Bowl of Karnataka” – Shimoga. Coming from a family rooted in religion, arts and medicine, she had a natural flair for all three. At a time when women were brought up in a very conservative environment, she was tutored by a grandfather to liberal ideas far ahead of her times. Post Pre-University (today XII grade), she was married when she was eighteen and moved to North India. Family duties and kids drew her into a vicious circle, leaving her with little time for anything creative. However, she kept in touch with one of her legacies – medicine. Grand-daughter of a renowned Ayurveda practitioner and trained at his hands, she had medicines and remedies for everything, from common ailments to pregnancy concerns. She was an ace at identifying herbal plants and imbibed medicine in her cooking, using herbs to keep seasonal illnesses at bay, and keeping the general constitution of her family health high. She never had a medical degree, yet it was rare to see one of her medicines fail, a fact known to all who knew her.
When her kids grew up, she decided to “work”. Going out of the house was out of question. So she brought her work home. She started art and stitching classes at home for grown-ups. The stuff she taught was not what was taught by most of the regular art classes around. Things that are a rage today – bead jewelry, or crochet, or sock-net flowers, or stuffed dolls – was the kind of stuff she taught. Every nook and corner of the house was full of them.
She was a treasure trove of stories. They were an attraction not only to us kids, but could also draw adults to her side. She would write devotional songs inspired in her dreams and Kannada poetry, which was published in Kannada magazines. Her English translations of Kannada folk-tales were published by Katha Publications. Writing was a “profession” she took up past the age of 55, making her mark, even though she had no formal training, not even a graduation.
A person who believed that there was no end to learning, she did a Diploma in Food and Nutrition from IGNOU at the age of 58 and became a practicing dietitian, combining it with her knowledge of Ayurveda, towards innovative therapies. Desperate to be a graduate, she completed that as well, at the age of 63.
She never set foot into a workplace, yet she achieved at work what many of us struggle to achieve today – work satisfaction, respect and a lasting impression. She defied all norms and proved that a strong will is all that one needs to excel. Work for her was a form of expressing herself. Education was the language she used.
Above all, she taught all those around her one of the key lessons of life – that to love anything or anyone, one must first learn to love and respect oneself.”
“She” is my grandmother.
(This post was written as part of #Selfies4School campaign for Breakthrough TV)
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