Time flies but when people hold on to their old values, it’s tough to move forward in life. Being born and raised here in Montreal, it surely hasn’t been easy for me. I am still fighting with it in 2013 and I won’t give up until I succeed.
I am blessed to have grown up in an Indian family because I was taught the difference between the good and bad. I was asked to never cause harm to anyone because the same could happen to me. Without my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Between the years, I was sometimes exposed to this concept of women having less rights than men. However in the family I belong to, none of the men had such thinking because after settling down in Canada, they quickly learned that women and men have the same freedom. Thus, the men in my family encouraged the women to fulfill their wishes whether it was about learning how to drive a car or taking French classes. It’s only then that I realized that some women put themselves down because they are afraid of risks that may result in bad experiences. This is how they were raised in India.
As for me, I grew up with a mixture of Canadian and Indian values and I believed that I should aim high and try to keep my family’s head raised with pride. My father was always pushing me to go beyond my capacities because he wanted his daughter to get stronger. On the other hand, my mother too was happy but she wanted me to live an ordinary life without dreaming too big. The decision was then in my hands.
There came a day where my father passed away in an unexpected accident. Life had paused for me. It seemed as if I was getting nowhere in life. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I continued walking on this unknown path of life that was open in front of me. Little did I know but I was one of those who could work hard and make my dreams come true. This was and is the reason of my existence.
I struggled a lot with my mother because she believed that she was the only one to know what was right for me and she was afraid the world around me would influence me in a negative way. I didn’t use the best way to deal with this but I had to raise my voice. This was new to her: a daughter arguing with her mother for her freedom. At the same time, she was feeling my confidence and she knew that I was far from surrendering myself to what others are doing. Actions always speak louder than words and in a very short age, I had already done so many good deeds and never did anyone denounce me to my family because there was no negative bone inside of me. I just believed that I had the potential to make my dear ones’ and my life better and this is what I have been doing.
This is just the beginning and I know I will overcome this battle whether it will take me decades. My journey of life has taught me that women are indeed as strong as men and one just has to believe in it and take actions. I have also accepted this challenge because I don’t want to spend the rest of my days suffering in silence and to have others telling me what to do. I know who I am, I know what I want and I will rise and shine till the end…
