I received my first salary on October 3rd, 2020. The 4th of October is my mother’s birthday. That night, at 12a.m., when I gifted her a diamond ring (the one I had bought with my first salary), she started crying like a baby and hugged me tightly. Although I knew that this was very small compared to all that she deserves, she was elated!
Hi, I’m Arti, and this is the story of my mother – Purnima Gupta. Every dream of hers was always shattered. It started when she got married for the first time, at the age of 16. Her fairy tale dreams came true, and soon after, my older brother was born. While the happiness of motherhood was present on one side, there were a handful of responsibilities on the other side. She was too young as well! But the irony of fate came by, and she became a widow. Her in-laws didn’t just keep her away but also took her son away from her. She was deprived of her motherhood.
After many trials and struggles amidst society, she found her way to get educated and reduce her miseries. Then came a ray of hope in her life, and this time, it was in the form of love again. She believed that he would support her in mending all her shattered dreams and help her all the way in accomplishing them. Forwarding to 2002, she took the first step of her journey in pursuing her dreams by starting to teach. Life had given her many lessons and experiences to share with the world. Everything was well for a while, but…but then came in a myriad of struggles, all over again. Family, society, in-laws, their taunts, all of this made living life very difficult for her. This went on for years, but mom was strong. She even prepared herself for the Mrs. India pageant. But, just like it’s said, “Man plans and God laughs,’ the lack of financial independence and her role of being my mother crashed her dreams.
Her courage doesn’t end here. After a long break, she decided to step into politics as she knew that she could help people, motivate them and guide them in the struggles of society. This time, mom was pretty sure of her survival in this zone. She knew this as she fulfilled all her responsibilities as a mother and even gained some financial support! She joined one of the leading parties as a booth president, eventually standing as a regional Vice-President. But all because of her second husband, I mean my dad, it too ended up with uncertainty. As ugly as it would sound, he actually spread rumors about mom on social media and spoke ill of her in every possible place. This made her let go of things.
Mom being a mom, had never learned to give up. Today, she has her own platform called https://purnimas.com/, where she dons the role of a personal coach and motivational speaker for depressed people. I have also seen people moving out of trauma and developing their inner strength, leading to better lives. She is unpredictable and a go-getter. As I end this story, I’d like to share something that she always says – something that has paved the story of my life, “What we choose to become lies within us. Find it, achieve it, and live it.”
Total Work Experience : 1.5 Years (Bank Of America, GIFIT City)