Some people are special,
Not because of their great looks or deeds,
But because they have a light-
A light that shines through their eyes,
A light that holds the power to ignite a thousand minds,
A light that mends every heart and makes it whole,
The light of their divine soul.....
She was a part of my family, long before I was born,
My parents trusted her completely, even with their newborn.
She never spoke much, nor did she ever raise her voice,
She was always punctual & worked diligently with poise.
She earned little, yet never clamoured for more,
Pride and self respect were filled in her to the core.
Tragedy struck when her husband lost his sight and subsequently his job,
But the doughty woman soldiered on- not a tear or a sob.
She had a family of more than ten,
five daughters, a son and many grandchildren.
Then, her eldest daughter died and so did another,
One died of burns and the other- by her lover.
Both left behind innocent children without a mother,
But she cared for them all- without a hint of bother.
However cruel her fate may have been, she held no rancour towards God,
She had the courage to forgive and forget- even the mighty Lord.
Having already lost two of her daughters,
one can only imagine the extent of her agony,
When her third daughter
was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 30.
She sold all her gold jewellery,
Did not ask us for a single rupee.
Gathered all the money she could, to make her daughter better,
Knowing very well, there was little chance she would indeed recover.
After months of treatment, the doctors gave up all hope,
asked her to take her daughter back home and hope against hope.
When my mother called to enquire about her daughter's condition,
She couldn't hold back her tears, her voice was choked with emotion.
All she managed to say is, "How many more of my children's death will He make me see?"
My mother had no answer, tears welled up in her eyes
as she looked at me.
This is dedicated to you Ita Bai,
I salute your extraordinary spirit.
You were not just a house-maid for us.
You were a part of our family for 22 years
May God bless you
Pride and self respect were filled in her to the core.
Tragedy struck when her husband lost his sight and subsequently his job,
But the doughty woman soldiered on- not a tear or a sob.
She had a family of more than ten,
five daughters, a son and many grandchildren.
Then, her eldest daughter died and so did another,
One died of burns and the other- by her lover.
Both left behind innocent children without a mother,
But she cared for them all- without a hint of bother.
However cruel her fate may have been, she held no rancour towards God,
She had the courage to forgive and forget- even the mighty Lord.
Having already lost two of her daughters,
one can only imagine the extent of her agony,
When her third daughter
was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 30.
She sold all her gold jewellery,
Did not ask us for a single rupee.
Gathered all the money she could, to make her daughter better,
Knowing very well, there was little chance she would indeed recover.
After months of treatment, the doctors gave up all hope,
asked her to take her daughter back home and hope against hope.
When my mother called to enquire about her daughter's condition,
She couldn't hold back her tears, her voice was choked with emotion.
All she managed to say is, "How many more of my children's death will He make me see?"
My mother had no answer, tears welled up in her eyes
as she looked at me.
This is dedicated to you Ita Bai,
I salute your extraordinary spirit.
You were not just a house-maid for us.
You were a part of our family for 22 years
May God bless you
Doughty- Brave, valiant
Rancour- malice, spite, hatred, hostility
