anando

I offer my gratitude to every person men, women, children; animals; nature; situations and experiences in my life for celebrating my womanhood 🙏🏼
Truly separating men, women, children etc. even when it comes for creating awareness is a limited approach.
The truth is we are nothing without the Others around us.
The great women show me how to express my greatness and few not so great ones teach me how to work on my limitations.
Great men inspire in me the respect and friendship for men and hurtful, disrespectful ones strengthen me to believe in myself.
Babies, Children constantly teach me purity, innocence, unconditional love, absolute trust and passion for learning.
Pets teach me complete faith and acceptance.
Nature teaches me generosity and non-judgemental attitude.
My own experiences make me aware of my limitations and help me to learn.
Situations and challenges lead me to my possibilities.
Every day is a new learning and opportunity for growing to be a better myself.
Every day is a celebration for my aliveness.
Everyday when I look at myself, I see them all in me.
Everyday is my opportunity to be in gratitude for what I call as myself 🙏🏼

Today is *Goa Liberation Day*

Many ordinary people fought the freedom movement.

My mother was one of them. She was one of the youngest members of the team who not just fought in *Goa Mukti Sangram* physically but also was a part of the team who went to talk to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in Dehli after India’s freedom for intervening in liberating Goa from Portuguese rule.

Aai was forced to leave her home at tender age of 12 along with her freedom fighter brother, lived in jungles, got physical beaten, starved for many days, got bullets in her legs and almost lost her legs, saw many of her other freedom fighter friends die in front of her eyes and went through all the horrifying experiences we read, hear and see in movies.

Goa liberation is a story of triumph for many ordinary people like my mother who lived and died for freeing their people and their motherland from slavery.

*Happy Goa Liberation Day* to Aai and everyone who nurtures spirit of freedom.

Aai continued her freedom fight movement even after Goa / India was free by freeing distressed, helpless women in india by making them financially independent, educating them, strengthening them and even rehabilitating many of them under the banner of *” Annapoorna Mahila Mandal”*.

She was honored Padmashri in 2002 for her extraordinary contribution to women’s empowerment and social service.

Please read the book “क्रांतिकारी प्रेमा पुरव” by Smt. Mandakini Gogte to know more about my aai Padmashri Prema Purao.

My salute to such an extraordinary woman – a daughter, wife, mother, sister, fighter, aunt, grandma, great grandmother…………….a complete human in one life. 🙏🏼