“Marriage is not everything and loss of a partner is definitely not the end of the world. And I can vouch for this as a single mother, who is content with her current reality. But things weren’t always this way.

Growing up in a conservative environment, I had little to no clue of my own identity. Everything right from my likes, dislikes to even my marriage was pre-decided and I just adapted to each phase, making it mine. But it wasn’t long before life hurled its biggest jolt in the form of my husband’s demise. We were 7 years into our marriage with a beautiful baby girl before I received the news of my partner’s sudden demise after a major accident.

Now, while everyone was expecting a massive meltdown, it was only the face of my daughter that got me to pull through the incident with grit. Circumstances were extremely testing, with people from all corners immediately convincing me to remarry, while my in-laws were completely against even the idea of me stepping out. At one point, I had to choose between either staying with my in-laws and restarting my careers after eight years.

Nevertheless, with the chain of events panning out completely against expectations, I knew I had to take a stand to provide for my daughter first, by becoming financially independent. So, with that idea powerfully ingrained in my head, I sought my friends to slowly aid me in restarting my career.

They were supremely helpful by lending all their weekends to train me to become hire-able. And slowly but surely, I was able to land and subsequently establish myself in a thriving IT job! Today, times have indeed changed for the better and both my daughter and I are in a drastically positive space.

I’ve so much love to give and take pride in being both a mother and a father to her. Of course, I am open to the idea of another marriage, but that’s a long time away. At this moment, the focus is on discovering myself and holding up my life with dignity and honor. In the meantime, all I seek is the acceptance of Society. There’s still so much stigma prevailing around the idea of single women living by themselves. Every action is scrutinized whether it’s as miniscule as going in for a haircut or even having a heartfelt laugh. I just want them to understand that there is definitely life after marriage for women post marriage and especially, a blooming one!”

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