Very interestingly, I just got the following WhatsApp message in my College group that kinda resonated with this. Take this as you will:
True Gratitude
How should it be
A warm evening at the Grand Convention Center in New Delhi. Camera flashes were flashing everywhere. Security guards were chatting on walkie-talkies and people in loose shoes were milling around. The hall was packed with ministers, businessmen, dignitaries, and foreign guests. The most powerful men and women of the country were sitting in the first row.
In a corner chair in the third row, a petite woman dressed in a pale cotton sari was sitting. Her presence was not something that anyone would notice. The woman's name was Lakshmi Pichai. Very few people knew who she was. In the spotlight was her son Sundar Pichai - Google's CEO.
Sundar Pichai, a man who had overcome many obstacles to reach this position.
Today, this evening, the Government of India would honor this son of Bharat. His felicitation was a rare event, for which the intelligent minds of the country were brought together. Sundar's gaze seemed to turn to her mother. She did not like being paid attention to. She was sitting quietly with her hands on her lap, but her eyes were filled with peaceful emotion.
As soon as Prime Minister Modi came on the stage, the program began with a round of applause. His speech, filled with very effective words and the passion for fulfilling dreams, hard work and basic values, was very powerful. He mentioned the names of industrialists, scientists and artists, which inspired enthusiasm in the audience. Then his voice came from deep. And he said, Today we are not just honoring Sundar Pichai, we are honoring the life journey of a mother who once gave up her food so that her son could study.
Sundar's heart beat faster. He had never said this publicly. There was absolute silence in the hall. Cameras moved to capture the incident. People looked around.
Modiji quietly got down from the podium, but he did not go towards Sundar, but towards a woman wearing a plain cotton sari sitting in the corner of the third row. Lakshmi was confused. She looked up. Her hands trembled. Everyone seemed to hold their breath. Modiji exclaimed very humbly, This has been possible only because of your sacrifice
And Modiji bent down and touched the feet of, that Mother and offered his respects. The entire hall went silent. The flashes of the cameras flashed. Reporters rushed in. Sundar's eyes welled up with tears. He had never expected this even in his dreams. He had spent many years in Silicon Valley, he had met the presidents, prime ministers, and kings of many nations there. But no one had honored his mother like this. Lakshmi tried to stand. Modiji supported her and gently made her stand in front of the stage in front of everyone present. She resisted but Modiji firmly made her stand. And the audience gave a huge applause. Sundar came to the spot with great joy and stood. As he stood on the stage with his mother, memories of the past flooded his mind.
He remembered his colorful two-room house in Chennai that did not even have a simple refrigerator. Sundar's father worked as an electrical engineer. He used to bring home blueprints and soldering wire. He could not even afford to bring toys for his children. So he used to bring broken radios to the children so that they would open them and learn. Sundar would ask him questions for hours. His mother would teach him mathematics using grains of rice. When Sundar got admission in college, his mother never told anyone that her mother had sold her gold bangles from her wedding. She would just say; "We will make arrangements."
Sundar was a very quiet boy during his school days. He was never aggressive. But he was very attentive. His teacher said, "Sundar's memory is like a mirror. He would memorize a number or a code he had dialed once."
Sometimes his school friends would tease him about his old shoes and the lunch box he brought from home. But he never retaliated against anyone. He would just smile and walk away.
Sometimes at night, the lights would go off at home, and the fans would not work. Sundar and his brother would sleep on the floor and sweat. At that time, his mother would fan them with a cardboard box for several hours without sleeping and then would get up early in the morning for house chores.
When Sundar got a scholarship to study in America, Sundar did not believe that he would be able to go. Because the ticket to America was very expensive. But his mother said you go, I will talk to the bank. But she did not talk to the bank. She sold the last gold jewelry she had.
And today, in a very prestigious hall in Delhi, he was standing on stage with his mother in front of the Prime Minister of India. And for a moment, he forgot about the whole world. He could only feel his mother's slow gentle breath and the warmth of her hand. Journalists published many articles about this emperor of information technology and the Prime Minister.
But Sundar remembered that night when she returned quietly to the hotel, her mother held his hand like a child and said,
"You have not forgotten, that is enough for me."
To this, Sundar replied, "Mom, you have never asked for anything, that is the reason why I will never forget you."
Transcription Jayant Joshi.
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