Who is your Role Model? - Contest entries

Discussion in 'Topic of the Month - Contest' started by Induslady, Mar 4, 2006.

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  1. Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    My Role Model

    Induslady: Pls consider this a non-competitive entry.



    In my life, I have been blessed with many role models. But no one has inspired me as much as Mrs. Chithra Vishwanathan in being not merely a better giver, but a better endower.



    Life and my mother gave me an appreciation of all things ‘kitchen’. My internet hours were spent surfing for slokams and recipes- food for the soul, food for the body. But, most recipes online were crap, bored housewives and socialites handing out ingredients and methods that were implausible. A few good ones came with a prefix ‘Pay here, secure gateways of payment’.



    And then in Indiatastes, I found this lady handing out recipes and slokams- all with a kind word and grace. Whenever someone offered a positive feedback, she always said,’ah, I just give recipes. You are a good cook’. It so happened, that she emailed me first when the site kept removing her answer to my posted query. I was excited and then followed her advice and joined Indusladies. And the rest is one happy history for me and my family.



    Let me get one thing cleared right at the beginning. I am an economist and by training am obsessed with pricing. A ‘free good’ is a good thing for us because the marginal rate of return is infinite. But, I am not a fan of Chitvish because her recipes are free of cost. Value takes precedence here.



    What makes Chitvish so special? Is it because she is a good cook and has a vast collection of original and acquired recipes? Is it because she is so astute with blogging and is available online? To a basic extent, yes. But what is more remarkable is her accountability. When she hands out a recipe, she does not absolve herself of all responsibilities. When we report that something is wrong, she gets back with solutions and tells us how to rectify the dish. Along with her ability as a good cook, it is this accountability that makes her so special.



    But it does not end here.



    We women are generally possessive- more so when it comes to husbands and recipes. And even when we share, we do so with caution- within the family, and then sometimes we conveniently forget an ingredient. But here is a woman, who shares her recipes with an international community of seekers- most of them faceless and nameless, hiding behind monikers. And there lies the greatest attribute of this unassuming lady. In giving without expecting any return, she is performing nishkamakarma. In sharing without boundaries, she is teaching us that nothing really belongs to us alone. What is of worth to one of us is of worth to this community.



    It is this essence of the Gita that she teaches us and this is what makes her my role model. I am tempted to compare her to Sreedevi, the embodiment of all prosperity. But I will compare her more to my favorite Devi, Bhudevi- the Mother Earth who patiently bears us, gives, and gives of herself, and always finds more to give. And as the Earth shall live, so shall live the name of Mrs. Chithra Vishwanathan. Happy Birthday and Many Happy returns of the Day!
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2006
  2. Varloo

    Varloo Gold IL'ite

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    my role models

    There are many women who touched my life with their uniqueness. I would like to talkabout some of them here.

    We moved to our new home when I completed my 7th standard. Then I met this gracious lady, my new neighbour. We all used to call her APPAMMAI, meaning father's mother. She literally became my grandmother. She taught me so many things, music, stitching, bhajans,time management and many more things. I used to accompany her during her outings till I got married and moved to Chennai.
    Then, there is Meenakshi Mami, my music teacher. She taught Hindi and music for a marginal fees. She became a councellor also to me. She and her daughter Sreemathi used to be very friendly. She always made sure that the classes were over by the time her daughter returned from college. A very disciplined person and a great humanitarian. She now lives in Bangalore with her daughter.
    My friend Vidhya. I was unlucky in her case. I knew her only for a short period , the Lord took her away. She moved to our neighbourhood as a young bride. Tall and beautiful, elegant and well dressed, she bowled over the whole neighbourhood. I used to keep her company while her husband went on tours. She was a asthma patient, fully dependent on injections. By giving confidence to her, we all made her free of that habit and she became well. She taught me to love unconditionally an to show that love. She would find new ways to express her love and frienship. Even when she moved out of the city, she always wrote long letters and send cards to me. I learnt so many life skills from here, most important one being a good friend. It was very unlucky that she died just 17 days before my marriage. We had made so elaborate plans and she had packed her bags to come to my place. This lose is irreparable and I shall always feel a pang of sadness when I think about her.
    And then my little sister, Vidhya. She was next to me and the last of 6 children and the youngest in the joint family. She was a replica of me, which she hated very much. People mistook her for me, I was very popular and known to all in the neighbourhood. She used to say that she will change her appearance by plastic surgery when she started earning. But God had other plans. She was diagonised as having problem in the heart. Her lungs were very much damaged. There was nothing anyone could do to help her. The doctors gave a final verdict- she may live for 2 years only. The irony is, one of the doctors blurted out this cruel truth to her inside the treatment room. She was only 26 at that time and we were starting to look for alliance. She took this news very bravely. We siblingsand one or two very close friends knew about her fate. She told us that she did not want to live a life of self pity and people's sympathising stares abnd queries. So it was kept a secret even from our parents. She worked till one month before her death. She was always cheerful and happy and had never once afraid of dying. She wanted people to remember her as cheercul and bubly. We tried our best to keep her happy, she tried to keep us happy. She was hospitalised for only one week, then she left us. When she was moved back to the ICU, she joked with the doctor-you send me from here yesterday and see today I am back. The only thing we could do to fulfill her wishes, we donated her eyes as per her wish. We always remember her, we don't want to forget her. Even though she was very petite physically, she was like a mountain in her strength in facing the harsh truth of life. In times of difficulties, I always think of her.
    varloo
     
  3. purnima_2k

    purnima_2k Senior IL'ite

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    Hats off to your sister, Varloo!

    A very touching incident about your sister, Varloo. Thanks for sharing her with us. Such a person is to be awed and respected till eternity!

    Hats off to Vidya!

    Regards,
    Purnima
     
  4. nuggehallipankaja

    nuggehallipankaja New IL'ite

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    Role Model

    Role Model

    ---- ------ ----

    “You know, I too wanted to write”- She confessed on her

    death-bed-“But I had no time……….”



    Yes , with the demise of paati, the task of being

    mother to a big family at a very early age gave her no time

    to lead her life; Her only son also grew up as one of the

    brothers. This being not enough, my mother- -her sister, also dying

    young, she had no option but to take us into her fold. That’s how

    doddamma became our amma, and a very much revered figurehead as

    Sithakka in the family-circles. Unselfish to the core, she gave herself totally—physically,mentally, financially , helping the poor also in turn. What surprises me is, in spite of all these commitments, how could she develop

    her extraordinary intellectual caliber, and artistic skills? What wonderful voice! Adept at both

    Hindustani and Karnatic music, she was gifted with a veena from the then

    dowager Maharani. Added to this, self-taught amma could speak English well, would be the first to read the master-writers which scholarly

    appa bought or brought;Also, knew Hindi, tamil, telugu, and ofcourse Kannada,

    well enough to read or speak. Found a Stree-samaj to educate women of the area in needle-craft, Hindi-music etc, and today it has evoloved into a

    prestigious college! Amma’s photo has been published in one its souvenirs.

    To crown this all, amma had dramas performed in the prestigious Reading room of our Malleshwaram, enacted by her samaj-members and children,namely-'Bishop 's candlesticks' in English, and 'Anarka' in Kannada. It was a huge success!


    Thus has amma-a witness of world war-first, shown,
    how, ‘stree-shakti’ if tapped, can rise to dizzying heights!

    ----------- -------- --------- --------- --------- --------------

    Nuggehalli Pankaja

     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2006
  5. rehanak

    rehanak New IL'ite

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    My Ideal Woman

    My ideal woman is my teacher Sr. Toynette. She is not just a preacher. She believes in practicing what she preaches. she is a woman of high character and believes in simple living and high thinking, a model of hard work before advising others to be industrious.
     
  6. rehanak

    rehanak New IL'ite

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    My Ideal Woman - My Mother

    Most mothers are big influences on their daughters and mine is no different. As a child she was my ideal. I had to like the same actor she did, her favourite food was mine as well and yes we had the same favourite color. Puberty struck! I rebelled. Time went by and I was lost in finding myself. To cut a lo..ng story short, I may not have "found myself" but I have found that(yes!) at most times I behave exactly the way my mom does, even though we are opposite personalities. She is a fiery Leo & I am an Arian. Yet the values are the same, the spirit is the same and the strength is the same. I am not mommy-aping anymore, infact we have very distinctive tastes but she helped me grow into the person I am today. She is an example of her beliefs and that is exactly how I want to be. I make my own choices now but there is an unseen cloud bearing my mother's name on it that envelopes every choice and when I think about it I can see her sitting on it waving to me lovingly, beautifully & gracefully.
     
  7. koolkhats

    koolkhats New IL'ite

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    Motivation - an Ideal Woman

    That was all a new world when I first entered my in-laws house. New relations…., new environment…, new expectations ….new role… everything was new and challenging. While life was all full of luxury and happiness, there used to be always something missing in my life. I should say, I had everything but that "peace of mind". That’s when flash came this lady into my life. She was a tenant in a small house. She had a son, her husband was hunting for a job in his mid 50s. I know she use to struggle to pay the rent many a times (Rs. 200). So now the question is what’s new. In spite of all these, I have never seen her worried even a single moment. With the little money we gave she used to be always warm and welcoming. I still remember the series of guests visiting her house in the week ends. She used to serve them delicious food. I used to envy the joy and laughter. Whenever I stepped into her house, she used to serve a huge glass of coffee. I was really amazed of her self confidence and hospitality. That really influenced me a lot in my life. Even now whenever I get into some challenging situation, I used to recollect how she managed the life full of challenges with a smile always.
     
  8. Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    Rehanak and Koolhats

    Liked all your pieces. Short but sweet and significant.
     
  9. sweetyafsha

    sweetyafsha New IL'ite

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    My Preacher - My Maths teacher

    Parents are your first teachers and teachers are your second parents, they say. Well, I was too young to realise it then. When I was in 5th Std at Gloria Convent, Mumbai, Ma'm was our Maths teacher. Maths, oops! How much I used to detest the subject. She taught me one big lesson in my life - love the things that you hate. She gave us this assignment - whoever practices the subject for an hour a day will win a prize. More than the prize, it was the appreciation in front of the whole class, that too from her that triggered me. My parents were more than overwhelmed at my change of attitude. I did very well throughout the year .Won the prize too. Yeah, Maths was my cup of tea by then. Today, if I can take things in my stride, I owe it to that one year of thorough practice. Thank you M'am. A big salute to all my teachers, on this day! Whatever I am, I owe it to you.
     
  10. Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Sweetyafsha,

    Are u talking abt Gloria Convent in Byculla? I have been there. It is Sister convent to my convent school.
     
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