Growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional!!

My parents live in Jamshedpur and I have only spent 5 growing up years with them, being raised by my grandparents and then studying and working outside. However, I am a true mamma's girl and my day is not well spent if I don't talk to her for atleast 30 mins daily over the phone. The talk is mostly about random stuff, ranging from what we cooked/ate to whose daughter got married, which relative is so greedy to ask for a dowry, whose son eloped, etc. My papa is most of the time jealous coz me or my sis talk to him only once in a while for very pressing matters. Not that we love our Papa any lesser, it's just that gossiping with Mom is so much of fun!

My mom got married when she had just finished her 12th, in a conservative, Hindu, joint family. She was a normal 18 year old, who didn't know how to cook or wear a saree. She was taught all this by my grandmother, her mom-in-law. I came in her life within 2 years of marriage and my sis soon followed suit. My mom was always very fond of studying so she continued her education and finished her graduation, while taking care of both of us. She couldn't take up a job as a woman in our family never worked outside and also she had 2 young children and a big family to take care of. She was an extremely busy homemaker with the usual household chores and the gaps being filled by her hobbies of knitting, embroidering and experimentation with new recipes.

She was the one who always pushed us to study harder and to do something with our lives. Today, if we both are independent, it's all because of my mom. Now, with all of us out of the house, she has lots of time in her hands and she yearns to do more with her life. When she hears about me and my sis chatting on net or me sending mails to my mom-in-law or maintaining accounts on excel sheets, she also feels the urge to be able to use the machine. Once during our random gossiping session, my mom told me she wanted to learn computers. When she expressed her desire, I encouraged her absentmindedly. Little did I know that my mom would actually pester my papa to teach her the basics. She started practising in her free time. Now, she is able to send mails, chat over the internet and share pictures. She can also maintain accounts.

I feel so proud of her. The zest in her for learning a new thing, even at her age is so inspiring. I always knew that she was industrious and loved doing things around the house. Now, I have learnt a new thing from my Mom that there is never an age limit to learning a new thing. Yesterday, she asked me if she could learn to ride a bike, now, I think that's a little risky coz a fall at this age might not be a good idea. However, I am proud of the spirit and I love you Mom!! Happy Woman's Day!!