By: Keyur Seta

(This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus. Under this activity, we have to write about a woman who, after being just a wife, went on to join a profession.)

For those grown up in late 80s and 90s, like I was, it was a normal thing to see a woman either choosing to be a wife or a hardworking professional. Through the society, films and advertisements, we were always indirectly told that a woman can’t play both the roles. If she starts working somewhere after finishing college, it is obvious that she will have to give up her career after she gets married to serve her family and raise kids.

But no society can escape change and India is no different. The aforementioned notion about women has changed quite a bit over the years as now she chooses to be a working professional along with being a wife. However, the change is far from complete. There is still a long way to go before the regressive ideologies get completely washed out.

But be rest assured, we are reaching there slowly but surely. There are a number of unknown faces going through such self-realization. I would like to highlight the story of one such woman, whose name I am not aware of.

Many a times, we come face-to-face with real-life inspiring stories in the most unexpected situations. Had anybody predicted that I would hear an inspirational tale while I was looking after my grandmother when she was admitted in hospital, I wouldn’t have believed that person. But this is exactly how it happened in mid-2013.

The protagonist of the story is the caretaker or helper at the hospital, someone who works under the nurse. We found her to be cheerful and, energetic and full of life; someone who always smiled and happily chit-chatted even while doing petty jobs (petty on paper but difficult in reality). But some smiles are earned after prolong periods of sorrow and grief. Her case wasn’t different.

We came to know about her dark past after she narrated it to my granny after building a rapport with her over the days spent. Belonging to the lower strata of society, she was one of the many unpaid maids disguised as housewives. But the biggest pain in life was her drunkard husband. Staying with a man who regularly consumes alcohol and creates havoc can make any wife experience hell on earth.

Her case was even worse since her husband faced serious health issues and was strictly advised to keep away from the bottle. But temptation can make anyone logically blind and he too fell under this category. Despite being urged to stop his habit, he didn’t. The outcome was his untimely death, leaving behind his wife, two small kids and his mother. The woman’s grief was coupled by a frightening question of who will run the house and feed everyone.

Instead of looking for answers from and caring about anyone, she answered it herself by deciding to work at this hospital. Although she didn’t tell this, it is quite obvious that the initial period would have been terribly tough to deal with. But here she is today, smiling her way through the tedious and thankless job and feeding her family. When life presented her with muck (keechad), she grew a lotus in it.

There are many out there constantly proving or trying to prove the regressive theories wrong.