Thank you…
A tale of Introspection and Exploration
As you open this post to read what I’ve written, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking out a few minutes of your time to read this article. For, within the confines of this article, I wish to put forward a thought, which I hold quite dearly in my heart and hence, consider to be of utmost importance.
But my dear friends, this article is not merely meant for you.
It’s for all those people who made you, who encouraged you and who created you.
Yes, I’m talking about your parents, your guardian angels.
Three years ago, when Anna* called me up and demanded me to board a train to Coimbatore* on my own from Kochi, I was shell-shocked and frustrated. I had just joined college and I was only slowly getting the hang of travelling in trains when Anna proposed this “oh so giant scheme” ( which is what it seemed like to me, at the time) of getting me to travel alone.
I still remember how I created a huge fuss and quarrelled with Amma for I could never gather the courage to talk to Anna directly for he was adamant. He asked me to either make it on my own and bail out on the festivities. The whole trip was set up because we wanted to get new clothes for a family function and he knew that I wouldn’t dare to say no.
And That’s How It Began.
Fuming at my dad, I boarded the train as he had left me no choice. I was scared sick, but I stayed alert and I ended up reaching my destination unharmed.
Little did I know how this would turn out to be only the beginning of a sequence of incidents wherein the distant future, I would have to travel alone, go to unfamiliar places and even board flights on my own.
After the Coimbatore trip, my parents next made me travel alone on a plane from Kozhikode to Chennai to meet my sister and Jiju. And for the entire trip, I was super scared. I had to take a train to Kozhikode, go to the airport via taxi (Kozhikode doesn't have uber yet), board the flight, get down at Chennai airport and then make way to my sister’s. Thankfully, she was considerate enough to send an uber for me.
As you can see, my parents have been front-runners in making me do odd jobs and urging me to handle tricky situations, all on my own. I despised them for it, questioning their parenting skills, wondering if they ever did truly love me. I was always a naive kid.
I used to look at my friends and notice how their parents would accompany them if they had to go to far off places. They were always taken care of, protected and looked after.
But my parents literally left me to fend for myself. And I always wondered why.
But after all this time, today, I realize how much they love me.
Today, I am grateful, thankful and in awe of my parents.
When I was sitting in the waiting area of the Dubai airport right before I boarded my flight to Houston all alone, I understood why my parents did what they did.
A little context: I am in Houston to attend the GHC conference.
I still know of people from my own class who are scared to travel alone, who are scared to apply for opportunities just because they are worried about the opposition they would face, the questions they would be asked, the fear of the unknown that lies before them.
There are a lot of people out there, capable of so many things yet caught in a web of obligations, chained to their fears restricting them from doing things that they may have wanted.
I’ll be totally honest with you. I couldn't sleep a wink for a whole week, before my trip. I was scared sick, worried about all the things that could possibly go wrong. People attacking me, my bags getting lost, losing my passport, falling sick on the flight and so on. The list was never-ending.
But, I knew that my parents trusted me and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.
Nothing comes easy.
I’ll give you that. I had to make sure things were all smooth. I would pen down requirements, make a note of things, double check, read information over and over again to ensure that I would not get stuck any step of the way. And thankfully, I didn’t.
But, yes, there are a lot of bad things happening in the world too. I will not deny that. I’ve endured a couple of bad situations myself where I struggled. And that is how the world is always going to be. By protecting people, we cut off their wings, their scope for improvement, we separate them from their wishes and perhaps their destinies.
I know most of you would brush this aside exclaiming how you can never change the status quo.
But, all I ask of you, is to give examples of people, particularly of women, who have dared to step out of their comfort zones, who have dared to follow their hearts and most importantly of parents who let their children see the world for what it is.
For, how can we expect our children to trust themselves if we don’t trust them ourselves.
I am an independent woman, capable of travelling alone, exploring opportunities before me, undaunted by the dangers of the world, equipped with the skills to manage on my own all because my parents believed in me, passed on their strength and boldness into me. In other words, they placed their complete trust in me. I know it doesn't come easy. And for that, I’ll forever be grateful.
Make your parents believe in you, they just need a small nudge for they already do! Do what you have to do with pride. Earn respect and follow your heart to the ends of the earth. You only get one chance at life. After all, it all boils down to you…
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Anna* ~Konkani word for father
Coimbatore * ~City in Tamil Nadu, 200 km away from Kochi.
