The dictionary meaning of "anchor" is a heavy piece of metal lowered from a ship into the water in order to stop the ship from moving. In life sometimes we need strong anchors who steady the rocking boat of life. And as I found out, these anchors could belong to small hands as well.
The househelp who is working at my place lost her husband and she has four children to look after. Now the eldest daughter also works as house help at another place. She is dark yet very mature and attractive. I saw the way she takes decision for all matters of the family and how controlled and decisive she is in all the work that she does. I was really impressed. The mother listens to her and does things accordingly not because she is scared but she also has come to respect her daughter's decisions. This girl has studied only till the 5th standard but her siblings are going to school.
I do not know whether she was good at studies or whether she was interested in going to school and study further but all I can see is that she has sacrificed her interests in the whole interest of the family - to earn and ensure her brother and sisters are educated.
I was wondering about the maturity of this young girl. It would of course remain a mystery as to what she would have achieved in life and how her life would have shaped up, if she had the opportunity to be educated. Wouldn't she have had a dream for herself? Wouldn't she have aspired to be somebody, someday? But like she does on a daily basis, she took a decision - to keep her interests at bay and give her family the top priority.
This is a little salute to the millions of little anchors that dot our country.
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