The day I was dreading had arrived—it was inevitable. I had seen it coming but had chosen to ignore it for as long as possible. I was all of 24 years of age, with 3 young children. I was all alone in this world, abandoned by my husband. The abusive marriage had come to an end. With no home to stay, nowhere to go to and not a penny in my hand, I was completely devastated.
I had never worked in my life, didn’t have proper/formal education, and always remained depended on my husband for everything.
The struggle, at that time was beyond imagination, and I was inconsolable, but a voice spoke inside me “God gives troubles to his strong angels, now be strong and think about your kids & life ahead“.
I knew, I will face difficulties in finding a job, but I had to search for one to feed my children, to bring them up. I knew I couldn’t afford to be weak, I need to be strong for my children, for myself. It’s not quite a man’s world but it’s most definitely not a woman’s world either. There is a thin line between being single and being a single mother. And that line is often taken for a ride by everyone around. When you are a single mother, prying eyes are not experiences, they are routine.
I started working in a grocery shop, but I used to earn very little, which was not sufficient to raise my three kids. Then, I started doing odd jobs like helping in the garden, sales girl etc. Even that was not enough to feed my children. I was going through an emotional turmoil, where I needed to express my anger, my struggles, insecurity, but my only focus was my children’s future and I had to be stand strong, amidst all. Feeding was not enough, I wanted my children to be independent and educated . After a few years I saved & gathered some funds & courage and successfully completed ‘Nursing Training Course’.
Post I became a certified nurse, slowly & gradually, things started moving in the direction, I always had desired, though not that easy. However, the daily struggles and challenges seem transient and scalable. What had changed was my freedom to live and express my existence in a way I have always wanted to. I felt that, now my identity is valued, I have the utmost freedom to do things I wanted and expressions which I wanted to give.
Our individual identity must be respected and valued. We all should be able to express and follow our dreams, walk with our passions, head held high. It’s always good to be in a relationship, but try to be self-dependent, as much as possible. Acquire education, it’s one thing, which can always provide you with a rightful path, at the time of crisis.
Today , what I get tears of joy when I witness that all my children are educated, successful & more than anything they are kind and humble.
I hope as a hardworking mother I have set an example for my children, with my dedication & determination . I pray to almighty that my children too shall imbibe those values and grow up to be passionate individuals with the desire to make a difference at work and beyond.
(As narrated by Ms Lalita Chouhan to Ms Madhumallika Jha)
