My Wonder Woman

Written by Jessia Saji, Creative Empowerment Batch 3

 I grew up watching how effortlessly she managed everything. I must say, I was a clingy daughter who would need her mother to be around all the time. Even in our old pictures, it feels like I was glued to her. I felt protected being around her like any daughter and it was mainly because I knew no demon would come near me as she will fight them all fearlessly. I always wondered how does she have such aura and power. Then I learnt that she has always been like this since childhood. She used to do all the outdoor chores with Appachan and her brothers. She would wear a lungi and go around with them to feed the cows and would join them for rubber tapping. I always get goosebumps when I think of it. My dad sometimes says that she was a real Elsamma from the movie “Elsamma enna Ankutty” (A character from a Malayalam movie, which translates to “A boy named Elsamma”).

I physically resemble her a lot. I often get comments that I am the photocopy of her. Earlier, I used to refuse and say ‘No I don’t.’ If you ask me why I denied it, I don’t have a clear answer, maybe because I thought it made me less unique. But now, if anyone comes up to me and comment “Hey, you resemble your mother,” I take it whole heartedly and own it because it’s a privilege. She is an assertive woman yet so soft and warm. She lets me believe that a person can be both sensitive and strong. She taught me being gentle does not make you any less of a person.

I have seen her other sides too. Yes, she is quirky and funny and I can proudly say that I have definitely got that side of her. She has a lot of layers. I have seen it all (or may be almost all). She taught me that not everything comes easy and sometimes we need to fight alone to get what we deserve. I remember in our family get-together, whenever an aunty shares a difficult situation, they had to face, someone commenting “If it was Omana Aunty, she would have…...” and I would just sit there and wonder whether I could be half as bold as her. Now, as years go by, I am realizing I’m growing into her. Yes, she is a wonder woman and I call her “Mumma.”