It was a couple of months back, on March 1, 2010, when my mother passed away all of a sudden, leaving us shocked. It was a huge blow for me, she was some one whom I always trusted and confided in, some one with whom I had shared everything, she had been the pillar of support, a friend, philosopher, guide everything to me. When she left, a part of me seemed to have been seized away.
It was something else though that I noticed at her funeral. The road leading to our home was crowded with people, and even when we took the body away for cremation, people were still streaming in. Many broke down as if they had lost their own family member, people were shell shocked, not able to digest the fact. But what accounted for Amma's popularity? Why did so many people turn up spontaneously? Why did many feel they had lost one of their own?
She was not a millionaire. Nor was she a powerful political leader. Nor was she one of the movers and shakers. Amma was not some one whom the media would describe as "rich and powerful", and yet the people streaming in to pay condolences to her, were no less. And that was for a simple reason, she reached out to the people.
Amma had one simple philosophy in life, "When some one approaches you for a help, do your best for them, if not at least give them a feeling you are there for them". And that formed the cornerstone of her life. Some one wanted to fix a match for their daughter or son, she was there, doing the needful. Some one had a function or party at their home, she was the first to arrive there, mingling with every one, assisting the people there. And if some one had a personal issue at their home, more often than not they would come to her, as in the least, she would lend a shoulder to cry on. And no she did not do this for any benefit, she did it from her own heart.
Today we hanker for fame, fortune, wealth and the like. But what I understand from my mother is that the real wealth is something you carry along with you after you have passed away. She was not rich, but she had a heart that was more precious than any gold. She was not powerful, but she touched more people simply by being there. She did not have any fancy degrees to her name, but the way she managed and ran the school, was exemplary.
Today we merrily keep adding friends on Facebook or Orkut, and feel proud that our profile page shows 300+ friends. But ask yourself, of those 300+ friends on your profile page, how many actually care about you, talk to you, interact with you. I guess not even 5%. It is not the amount of people you know that matters, it is the amount of people whose lives you have touched that matters in the end.
Amma is the reason why I believe that women are in no way inferior to men, for the way she carried out multiple roles. And she is the sole reason, for me, still having faith in humanity. She has passed away, but she sure has left a wonderful legacy for us to live up to.
And that is what I say, when you leave the life, as you will one day, it is not your fame or riches that matter, it is the legacy that you leave for others.
