The Paradigm Of Greatness

People are like books. We learn and live our lives with people around us. Starting from our parents to our Facebook acquaintance, people are everywhere. Of all the people we come across, only a handful make real impact in our lives. Such people who can plant great ideas in our minds, cultivate goodness in our hearts and bring real change are Great. They are #MadeOfGreat and with their ingredients of greatness can make more greats. We read plenty of books, listen to videos, speeches and what not that talks about Inspiration, Motivation, Empowerment so on and so forth which tend to lead us to the path of greatness. But when we learn these from people those lessons get embedded within our lives forever.

When I type the words above, my mind is filled with one great person who taught me the values of life. I am what I am today because of My Grandmother.

Since my birth other than my mother the one person who has been always around me as I grew up was my maternal grandmother, until today and for the many more years to come. The first thing I got inspired about her as a toddler was her teachings. She had not been to school but she is a great teacher. The way she held my finger and taught me alphabets, the way she told us stories, I was awed by her knowledge. That’s when my admiration for her begun.

I always tell my grandmother that she is way ahead of her times. Her beauty shines both in her looks and attitude. The way she carries herself around the house is elegant and when she goes out she is admirable. I feel proud to go out with her to functions and family visits to see her charisma and the way she makes her presence felt.

Being the only child of my great grandfather, who established a legacy of his business and respected status of our family in our hometown, she was brought up to be the crown jewel of his legacy. I’ve heard stories about her young years but what I witnessed living with her was much greater than those stories. I’ve seen her making strategic decisions for the family, governing the Wakf treasury and managing its duties & people and more. She kept track of every penny earned and spent. Every such quality is a learning for me and my siblings throughout our lives.

I developed the character of sharing and caring from my grandmother. The way she takes care of the people who work for us at home and business was something we all look up to. Her level of helping reached its epitome when she built an independent house for one of our workers who has been with us for long. Following her footsteps, we take care of our workers' welfare and especially their children’s education. Her philanthropy has blessed us all with the prayers of the people in need.

She always exhibited patience and control during any situation, of which the people of my town sought her during their difficult times. One such incident was during the 1992 flood of Thamarabarani river in Tamil Nadu, which claimed hundreds of lives. My grandfather had made arrangements for the people who lost their homes while my grandmother supervised the entire panic situation very well bringing peace to the hearts of the people. She is like a super-heroine to me.

She is a wise woman. Right from my grandfather to family and friends, we all seek my grandmother’s counsel during tough times. Her counselling abilities are so well known for the stability and clarity they bring to everyone when nothing goes right. My brother and I used to joke around calling her Don, but the truth is her care for the family and her people is immense. Not only to our family but to the people in my hometown, she is a Legend.

Her bravery was another trait that I’ve adopted. The classic example that’s always on top of my head is the middle-east tour she and my grandfather took. During the last few days of the tour, my grandfather met with an accident at the hotel and was injured badly. She singlehandedly aided my grandfather, communicated in a foreign land and assembled people with just her presence of mind, to help her out of that panic situation. Thanks to my grandfather who gave her an emergency situation protocol during the initial days of their trip. Her brave act was applauded by everyone and it was a great lesson to all women. She was able to pull this off with her home grown knowledge. She taught us to be courageous in whatever situation we face.

She is a great writer and an amazing story teller. Her travelogue series of her middle-east trip which was published in a women’s Tamil magazine during the 70s was the best of her works and it was one of the famous Historic travel series of that time. I’ve learnt about my religion, my Prophet, good manners and a lot from her stories. I can keep talking about all the things that make my Grandmother great, but an important caliber that got inherited to me from her was - Writing. And that is the only reason I can register my thoughts on her in here. Her DNA of writing skipped my mother and got transferred to me completely. Well, I have to write more and lot better to reach her level. Also I’m a big fan of her cooking and I’ve have taken more cooking lessons from her than my mother. Not only at home but where ever she goes, she maintained her dignity till date. She inspired me in many ways. 

Undeniably my Ummama is #MadeOfGreat and I’m blessed to be her granddaughter to get guided in the path of a great in the making.

I love you, Ummama. You are the best! :)

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