Rupa talks about her mother-in-law’s progressive views. In life and death, she carried her will. In death, her body is going to medical research which will benefit waitlisted organ recipients and medical research community that may find miracle cures a step short of discovery. Here’s a new weekly column, beginning today, exclusively for Different Truths.
To make a positive difference in one lifetime is a privilege. However to embrace an opportunity to improve humanity in death is twice the blessing.
My mother-in-law was a true life-partner – saha dharmachaari (supporting her husband to meet his dharmic goals) for 60 years with her native wisdom, groundedness, family values. She uplifted him as a partner with a nudge or word to move in the direction that would help him and family evolve, as a mother to three children with best education from premier institutes on a budget. She was fiscally smart, progressive, and lived simply to the end. In death, her body is going to medical research which will benefit waitlisted organ recipients and medical research community that may find miracle cures a step short of discovery.
In life, we are busy chasing short and long term goals as individuals or for family unit, we often overlook nurturing the spiritual or self-realization goal on Maslows hierarchy of needs. One simple way to change that no matter how tied down and short on time we are is to sign up to donate organs and body after death. Discuss with loved ones who may cling on to our lifeless physical form to cremate due to their belief systems. This may just be one last and huge gift in death to make to humankind once you and loved ones are in agreement.
Sadly, in India, organ donation has been steadily dwindling. Body donation aka Corpse donation after death
You can change it now, sign up to donate your body organs and also your loved ones. Talk about it with friends and family, create awareness can be a great beginning.
Adieu to a lady who had a large personality, she wanted the best for her own and lost no opportunity to teach reading, writing to the underprivileged in neighbourhood, sewed their torn clothes on her sewing machine, shared some snack and small jobs and made them feel important. 20 years back when the south Indian Andhra Brahmin middle-class community still treated widows as not-to-be-seen-on –certain-days; not to give them flowers and kumkum; my mother-in-law insisted on tucking a garland in hair of a young widow in family and put vermilion dot insisting she had a right to it.
Goodbye dear mother – your meaningful journey continues in death, thank you for your precious wisdom, blessings and guidance Syamalamba Gudala.
©Rupa Rao
Image sourced by the author and photo from the Internet
#OrganDonation #TraditionAndCulture #GiftOfLife #Life #Motherinlaw #ThatsLife #DifferentTruths
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