Background and Life

My great-grandma, Kamala, was born in Vijayawada, India. She is approximately 96, but we do not know her birthday or the year she was born.

When my great-grandma was 9, her mom died. Her dad wanted to remarry so he left her to be raised by her aunt and uncle. She only went to school until 3rd-grade, and she was married off at 12.

When my great-grandma was 14, there were communal riots going on. The rioters invaded her city. She hid for hours in a haystack so that she wouldn't be found.

When she was 16, my grandpa was born. Things got harder when her husband died. My grandpa was only in the 7th grade. In the 1900s, especially in India, it was very uncommon for a woman to work and raise a kid by herself.

This wasn't because of law, but it was because of culture. Parents did not send their daughters to school or work, because they believed it wasn't safe. Now things are different, but back then women would only be housewives with little education. However, she believed in education and she made sure that my grandpa was educated, and he even has a master's degree.

When my grandpa got married, my great-grandma encouraged my grandma to work, and support women's empowerment. She was a big believer in women's empowerment and encouraged it in her whole village.

She continued to earn money to help support her family until 75 to help pay for her grandkids' education.

Right now, she is 96, and she is losing her memory. She is still physically healthy, but she is in the early stages of dementia.