It’s been two weeks and I am still trying to find the right words for the feelings. I don’t really have words to express what happened.
From a phone call that I have been nominated and was one of the 20 outstanding Women of 2019 to the formal announcement. I remember one Friday evening leaving my phone upstairs and watching “Delhi Crime” with Ashish in the basement. After a couple of hours of watching the show,
with a heavy heart when I came upstairs my phone was flooded with notifications, text messages and some missed calls.
It was Friday evening and people had received the email announcing the nominations. The sadness from that TV serial vanished with the overwhelming feeling of being loved.
From a phone call that I have been nominated and was one of the 20 outstanding Women of 2019 to the formal announcement. I remember one Friday evening leaving my phone upstairs and watching “Delhi Crime” with Ashish in the basement. After a couple of hours of watching the show,
with a heavy heart when I came upstairs my phone was flooded with notifications, text messages and some missed calls.
It was Friday evening and people had received the email announcing the nominations. The sadness from that TV serial vanished with the overwhelming feeling of being loved.
It took some time to sink in. The very next day I was at a friend’s 50th birthday party and realized how lucky I was. People made sure to congratulate me and talked about Moms Network.
And yes, couple of them asked what saree I will wear. Looks like my saree stories are still alive. Thanks to the #100SareePact!
Finally, the day arrived and I had a very clear choice of my saree. The saree which started Autism Awareness on 100 Saree Pact. That was the reason I was being celebrated. Some of my old friends and some of the moms from Moms Network were going with me. More than anything I was happy to have my very diverse village with me to celebrate that very reason, building a village for special moms. The Woman of the Year night is a night to dazzle, celebrate and just have fun. You witness the class and glamour, fun and charm. With almost 500 people in the room one can spend hours just looking at everyone. I walked in with two friends and husband next to me. Ashish and Ajey going to a gala with me was an award in itself. Many met them for the first time and Ashish did get to put some faces to the names he has been hearing about. For me the meet and greet is the best part of the event, meeting old friends, making some new ones, sharing stories and rejuvenating friendships. I was a very happy and proud woman but missed not having Anand with me. He was playing video games at home, not caring for what was going on in his mom’s world.
I met most of the nominated women for the first time. While talking to them I felt we all belonged to a mutual admiration society. Reading about people is different from meeting them in person. We congratulated each other, admired the individual contribution to the community and were just happy to be there. Soon the door opened and the show began. After that it was a very well-orchestrated evening, with two entertainment programs defining women, a speech from the chief guest, the segment to introduce the 20 nominees began. That was one very powerful segment of the evening. Hearing more about each and every one I felt honored to be in the list. Every one of us was asked a question related to our life. I was asked if I have one piece of advice to the moms – I said “ it takes a village to raise a child, don’t do it alone. Build your village, build a diverse one and pay it forward”. That was the reason I was there in the first place, trying to help building a village for all the special moms.
After all the introductions the judges announced the “Woman of the Year. ” Each one of us was a winner but the work Revathy is doing with Vision Aid deserved the title for sure. She co-founded Vision Aid with her husband and has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of so many in India. We are all so proud of her work. Her speech was another example of the person she is. So humble and crediting the team for the work.
The evening ended with the DJ and dancing. I decided to leave with Ashish for a quiet ride home. On the drive back I was just thinking about my journey, how thankful I was to have people around me, appreciated the love I was showered with, missing those who couldn’t be there with me that night and had a feeling of calm overall knowing I did make a difference in some lives. But at the same time felt the responsibility of doing more.
After all the introductions the judges announced the “Woman of the Year. ” Each one of us was a winner but the work Revathy is doing with Vision Aid deserved the title for sure. She co-founded Vision Aid with her husband and has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of so many in India. We are all so proud of her work. Her speech was another example of the person she is. So humble and crediting the team for the work.
The evening ended with the DJ and dancing. I decided to leave with Ashish for a quiet ride home. On the drive back I was just thinking about my journey, how thankful I was to have people around me, appreciated the love I was showered with, missing those who couldn’t be there with me that night and had a feeling of calm overall knowing I did make a difference in some lives. But at the same time felt the responsibility of doing more.
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