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A go getter who took marriage, pregnancy, and childcare in her stride as she did two professional degrees, and a fulfilling career as a gynaecologist, while also being a single mom most of the time as an army wife, this mom is inspiring!
This is a topic very close to my heart. I love my children as much as any mother would or does, but I try to incorporate my own life, my aspirations and dreams, with those of my family and children.
I’ve had perfect timing I must say! insert eyeroll I got married 2 weeks before my Final MBBS exam and that sort of set the pace for the rest of my life.
Having married an Army officer I took the option of getting commissioned into the Medical Corps of the Army. I took a Short Service commission to see how it would suit me, and how I would fit into a way of life I’d never been exposed to before.
Surprisingly it was a good fit and I enjoyed the scope and ethos of the Army life both as a professional and the wife of an officer which is a job in itself.
So much for the background.
My son was born after a brief tryst with infertility, and the pregnancy was an obstetrician’s nightmare; an extremely complicated pregnancy. That set the stage for my next career step as I realised how much there is to having a good Gynecologist.
It was time to take a permanent commission, which entailed an exam and interview. Having cleared that, I appeared for the PG entrance. My son was 3 by then, and starting on his own schooling. I loved teaching him and taking him out for picnics and vacations.
By the time I completed my MD I was blessed with my daughter. It stressed me no end as I had topped my course in all exams but having 2 kids, with one barely a month old was not the perfect setting to ace your exams! However I surprised myself by getting the 1st Rank in Pune University.
Thereafter I’ve not done any post PG as I felt my kids had to start studying and I had to stop! However I had great tenures and the best part was that I got an opportunity to get into the teaching faculty at AFMC and other teaching hospitals, and soon became a Professor.
My kids were encouraged to follow their dreams and my son Rohan, who is an Engineer, won a national video game Jam and is presently following a career in making video Apps n games at Byjus.
My daughter Apoorva has an avid interest in horse riding is now a Bachelor in Mass Media from Mumbai University. She and I share a love for writing too.
I’ve loved reading and writing, and indulging in this hobby was also part of my own dreams. I also paint and cook. Cooking is a stress buster and a way to connect the dots at the family dinner table.
I write on a few platforms including Women’s Web, and my blog Ripples and Reflections too is fairly successful in garnering views and readership. I won an award from Women’s Web too and keep having my own little moments in winning Flash Fiction and several other prompts on various platforms.
I’ve been a single parent for a very large part of out parenting life, mostly because my husband’s work as an Artillery Officer in the Indian Army kept him away from home very very often. Yet we as a family have very strong emotional bonding, and I like to think we have a great connect which includes my talented and beautiful brand new daughter-in-law Ann.
Presently I’m a Brigadier in the Army heading a 250 bedded hospital and am doing the administration of the hospital which is what the Army expects at this rank.
All in all, I feel I’ve followed my own dreams with a few compromises, and helped my children achieve theirs too, and that is what makes me happy, proud, and most importantly content.
What happens in a social milieu like ours that anyway tells a woman that she is not important enough? That her dreams are secondary? That everything else comes first, and maybe after everything is taken care of, can she dare to dream for herself? What happens once she becomes a mom?
But the badass woman of today doesn’t have to put herself last – maybe she can do both? Being a mom AND being herself? Finding a place for her dreams too, and going after them, without attempting to be the ‘superwoman’ society wants her to be? Do you believe in being #MomAndMore?
Editor’s note: Aruna Menon is the second winner of our #MomAndMore blogathon for Mother’s Day! Congratulations from Team Women’s Web! Aruna wins an Amazon gift voucher for Rs 500.
Image source: Aruna Menon
A Gynecologist by profession n blogger by passion, I love words! I love weaving life experiences into verse and prose. I'm particularly interested in relationships and how they work. A strong supporter of woman read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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